Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC are on the verge of appointing Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta as the club’s new head coach following the departure of Danish manager Jess Torup.
The move comes after Al Ahly confirmed the end of Torup’s spell at the club by mutual agreement. The Egyptian side said a final settlement had been reached regarding the coach’s compensation package, with Torup set to receive four months’ salary in addition to his wages for June.
According to a source within the club, Al Ahly’s football management has been assessing several managerial candidates in recent days as the club seeks stability ahead of the next phase of its football project.
The source said Sayed Abdel-Hafiz, who currently serves as a board member and acting general supervisor of football, had considered a number of options, with coaches from the Portuguese school initially viewed as the preferred direction.
However, negotiations with several high-profile candidates reportedly failed because of financial demands and personal circumstances.
The source said: “We contacted Bruno Lage again, but the financial conditions stood as an obstacle to contracting with him, given his demand to receive $5 million in addition to a penalty clause stipulating that he be given the full value of his contract.”
Portuguese coach Bruno Lage was therefore ruled out despite renewed contact from the club.
The same source added that “Carlos Carvajal refused to work outside his country due to family circumstances, and the Dutchman Van Bommel insisted on an amount of $4.5 million annually.”
With negotiations over other candidates proving difficult, attention turned increasingly towards Ammouta, who is now believed to be the leading candidate for the role.
Meeting Reportedly Advances Ammouta Deal
The source revealed that a key meeting took place involving Yassin Mansour, vice-president of Al Ahly, and Abdel-Hafiz to discuss the club’s managerial shortlist and future plans.
According to the source, the discussions focused heavily on Ammouta, who is viewed internally as a strong fit because of his experience in African football and his familiarity with the Egyptian game.
The source explained: “Yesterday afternoon, Yassin Mansour, the vice president of Al-Ahly Club, held a lengthy meeting with Sayed Abdel-Hafiz, a member of the board of directors, and all matters related to nominations were discussed, including the Moroccan Hussein Ammouta, whom Abdel-Hafiz believes is an ideal choice for the current stage due to his knowledge of the African continent and the Egyptian league, in addition to his personality being suitable for this period.”
Club officials are believed to have already opened direct communication with Ammouta, with the source claiming that the Moroccan coach has agreed in principle to take charge of the team.
The source stressed that negotiations are now in their final stages and that only the remaining contractual details need to be completed before an official announcement can be made.
He said that if the terms of the contract are agreed upon, Ammouta could be officially unveiled as Al Ahly’s new technical director within hours.
Major Restructuring Underway At Al Ahly
The pursuit of a new coach comes as Al Ahly continues a broad restructuring of its football operations.
The club’s football administration has already approved a comprehensive plan involving several appointments across different departments.
Former Egypt international Wael Gomaa has been named director of football, while Essam Serag El-Din will oversee contracts.
Elsewhere, Anis Boujelbane has been appointed head of scouting, Shady Mohamed will lead the women’s football department, and Ahmed Ramadan has become technical director of the women’s side.
The restructuring also includes the appointment of Abdel Moneim Shatta as academies director and Mohamed Youssef as head of the youth sector.
Additional roles were handed to Hisham Hanafi and Samer Abdel Rahman within the club’s Delphi team structure as Al Ahly seeks to reshape its football department ahead of the new season.
