Saudi Arabia identify potential Mancini replacement after contract termination | OneFootball

The Saudi Arabia national team are reportedly considering reinstating former coach Hervé Renard as a replacement for former Italy CT Roberto Mancini, who terminated his contract in the Middle East on Thursday.

Renard tipped to replace Mancini in Saudi Arabia

Herve Renard, the potential replacement for Roberto Mancini in Saudi Arabia, on the bench with the France Women’s national team.

Mancini, who resigned as head coach of the Italy national team last summer and then moved to Saudi Arabia a few short weeks later, terminated his contract by mutual consent on Thursday after a run of seven wins from 18 matches and a disappointing round of 16 exit from the AFC Asian Cup in January.

According to reports from The Athletic, Renard, who previously coached Saudi Arabia between 2019 and 2023, has been labelled a ‘serious contender’ to replace the recently-departed Mancini.

Renard left the Saudi Arabia national team in 2023 to accept a one-year contract offer from the France national women’s football team, leading them into the World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

In doing so, he became the first coach to ever take charge of two different teams at two World Cups in the same year. He also became the first coach to ever win matches at both the men’s and women’s World Cups, having beaten Argentina in Qatar with Saudi Arabia, and then against Brazil with France in the summer of 2023.