Al Riyadh install Sabri Lamouchi as manager

Al Riyadh have appointed former Cote d’Ivoire, Rennes and Nottingham Forest head coach Sabri Lamouchi as their new manager.

The capital club, who finished 14th in last season’s Roshn Saudi League, announced the Frenchman’s appointment late on Friday, as the squad returned to pre-season ahead of the new league campaign. Lamouchi, 52, replaces in the dugout Odair Hellmann, who departed Al Riyadh last month despite initially agreeing to renew his contract.

A midfielder who enjoyed a decorated playing career during with Auxerre, Monaco, Parma, Marseille and Al Rayyan in Qatar, Lamouchi has experience of managing in the Gulf having coached both El Jaish and Al Duhail in Doha.

Born in Lyon, the former France international began his managerial career in 2012 with Cote d’Ivoire and guided Les Elephants to the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Lamouchi then spent three years in Qatar with El Jaish, where he won the Qatar Crown Prince Cup in 2016, before taking charge of Rennes and then Nottingham Forest.

At the former, Lamouchi led the club to fifth place in the 2017-18 Ligue 1 and thus qualification for the 2018-19 UEFA Europe League. A return to Qatar with Al Duhail was followed by another stint in the United Kingdom, with Cardiff City.

Installed in January last year, Lamouchi helped steer the Welsh club clear of relegation from the Championship, where they finished one spot and five points above the drop zone. He left Cardiff not long after securing their survival.