Laurent Blanc has been appointed as the new head coach of Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad.
A former central defender, Blanc’s managerial career includes stints in charge of Bordeaux, Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and the French national team, alongside a spell at Al Rayyan in Qatar.
The 58-year-old now joins Al Ittihad, who parted ways with Argentine coach Marcelo Gallardo earlier this month. Gallardo, 48, was sacked in May but he remained at the Saudi club for the remaining matches of the season.
Welcome to Al-Ittihad, Coach Laurent Blanc 🤝🟡⚫️ pic.twitter.com/UdBm7gB1lE
— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) July 13, 2024
Gallardo was appointed in November 2023, replacing Nuno Espirito Santo at Al Ittihad, and had been under contract until June 2025 with an option to renew through to 2027. However, he left the club following their missing out on qualification for the Asian Champions League.
Blanc’s most notable managerial achievement was guiding Bordeaux to the 2009 Ligue 1 title — the club’s first league success in a decade — alongside the Coupe de la Ligue in the same campaign.
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The former defender was appointed head coach of the France national team after the 2010 World Cup, leading them to the quarter-final stage of Euro 2012 before losing to Spain.
Blanc subsequently was appointed PSG head coach, winning the Ligue 1 title in each of his three seasons at the helm between 2013-14 and 2015-2016, and winning 11 trophies in total.
He subsequently had stints in charge of Al Rayyan and Lyon, but was dismissed by the latter in September 2023 after losing three of their four opening games — a run of results that left Lyon at the foot of Ligue 1.
(Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
