The Asturian coach has never let himself be controlled by money – and is now waiting for a more interesting project than Al-Ahli. (And there are many of them)
Marcelino García Toral has turned down the offer from Al-Ahli to replace Matthias Jaissle in the summer window. The former Villarreal manager is on the market and had several meetings with the Saudi Arabian club – and came a long way in the negotiations. But in the end, he chose to decline. Matthias Jaissle was brought to Newcastle to take over from Eddie Howe, who chose to move on after a series of player sales against his wishes.
Read: What we know about Matthias Jaissle (not so much) – Newcastle’s new hope
The sporting project, the opportunity to live in Jeddah and the chance to participate in the upcoming Club World Cup were tempting enough, according to AS, but Marcelino has nevertheless considered that this was not the right time to start his second experience outside Europe.
Marcelino declined – despite long talks
Al-Ahli had named Marcelino as his main candidate to take over from Jaissle. The German is leaving the team after winning the last two editions of the Asian Champions League.
Negotiations progressed over the past few days, and both parties considered the sporting terms. Marcelino considered training the Asian champion – but circumstances that arose in the final stages of the negotiations led him to turn it down.
Rui Pedro Braz – sporting director of the Saudi Arabian club and former boss of Benfica between 2021 and 2025 – strongly advocated the appointment. He appreciated the coach’s working methods and track record in LaLiga.
Famous names under Marcelino
Marcelino has coached several well-known players. Santi Cazorla, Ander Herrera, Gonçalo Guedes, and Luis Alberto have all been part of his teams. He has also worked with Rodri Hernández, Ferran Torres and Nico Williams – all Spanish champions.
The interest from Al-Ahli was concrete and involved several meetings. But the project and the coaching staff’s personal timelines did not quite match – despite the fact that the negotiations were approaching a favorable solution.
The road ahead for Marcelino
Marcelino has been without a club since leaving Villarreal on June 30. In his final season, he led the team to third place in LaLiga and secured the club’s second consecutive Champions League qualification.
Since his departure, he has used the break to renew his coaching staff. One of his goals is to improve his English skills before he accepts an opportunity outside Spain. – Rumor has it that already a year ago he hired an English teacher, not only for himself, but also for his team.
Marcelino has previously had an international experience at Olympique Marseille – but his stay in France ended in September 2023 after seven official matches. The Saudi offer would have been his second job abroad.
Now Al-Ahli must explore other options to fill the void left by Jaissle. Meanwhile, Marcelino is waiting for a top bench in Europe – and will continue to consider offers in the summer months.
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