Walter Mazzarri has unexpectedly emerged as the leading candidate to become the next manager of the Algeria national team, according to reports from Algeria.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) is understood to have changed its preferred option for the position, with the search for a successor continuing to produce a different leading name from one day to the next.
Khaled Mazouzi, a journalist with AL24news, reports that Mazzarri is now the federation’s first choice at this stage of the process. The 64-year-old Italian coach, who has managed clubs including Napoli and Inter Milan, is reportedly moving closer to an agreement with the FAF.
The development is a surprise because Mazzarri’s name had not previously emerged in discussions surrounding the vacancy. His possible appointment would also represent a change in direction stylistically: the Tuscan is associated with the Italian school of coaching rather than the Spanish approach linked to some of the other candidates considered.
The previously explored possibility of Stefano Pioli now appears to have been abandoned. The former AC Milan manager had been contacted by the FAF, but his salary demands were reportedly considered too high by the Algerian federation.
There was also a difference over his coaching staff. Pioli is said to have wanted to retain his assistants, while the FAF reportedly intends to appoint Algerian coaches to work alongside the new national-team manager.
Mazzarri’s reported progress would indicate that Felix Sanchez and Tom Saintfiet have fallen behind in the race. According to Dzair Tube, both candidates had given their approval to take the role, but the latest developments suggest that neither is currently the federation’s preferred option.
The situation remains unresolved, with the FAF yet to confirm an appointment. However, if the latest reports prove accurate, Mazzarri has moved from being an unmentioned possibility to the unexpected front-runner for one of the most prominent coaching jobs in Algerian football.
Mazzarri has extensive experience in Italian football and previously managed Napoli and Inter Milan. His potential arrival would therefore bring a different profile from the Spanish-speaking candidates whose names had been linked with the position.
The identity of Algeria’s next manager is still subject to further developments, but the federation’s reported shift towards Mazzarri marks the latest change in what has become an unpredictable search for the Fennecs’ new coach.
