Nuno's sacking felt inevitable as rot set in at Al Ittihad

Just over 16 months since he landed in Jeddah, Nuno Espirito Santo’s time as Al Ittihad head coach is officially up. The 49-year-old Portuguese was relieved of his duties in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a run of poor results.

Monday's shock 2-0 defeat to Iraq's Air Force Club in the AFC Champions League proved to be Nuno's last game in charge at Ittihad, despite them still sitting top of Group C on nine points.

Former Ittihad goalkeeper Hassan Khalifa has been installed as interim boss while the club begin their search for Nuno's replacement.

“Following a complete technical evaluation of his time at the club, Al Ittihad announces the termination of its contractual relationship with head coach Nuno Santo,” the Saudi Pro League champions said in a statement .

Nuno has paid the price for a poor run of results domestically, with Ittihad winning only six of their 12 league games this season to trail leaders Al Hilal by 11 points.

It is a sad denouement of Nuno's time at the club. In his one full season in charge, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur boss secured a first Saudi Pro League title for Ittihad in 14 years. Ittihad lost only two league matches in 2022/23, the team’s tally of 72 points a Saudi Pro League record as was their concession of just 13 goals.

Following the partial acquisition by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund over the summer – Ittihad were one of four clubs to receive PIF investment – the club indulged in an unprecedented summer spending spree that saw them sign 2002 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, World Cup winner N'Golo Kante and Brazil international Fabinho.

And while those players have, to varying degrees, integrated well at Ittihad, Nuno's mishandling of