Fair to say, few Celtic managers of modern times are more beloved than Ange Postecoglou. When he arrived, the club was at the lowest of low ebbs, before turning everything around, picking up five major trophies during two seasons in Glasgow. Despite mixed fortunes in the Premier League with Tottenham and Nottingham Forest thereafter, he is still held in extremely high esteem in Scotland.
Thus, many national team supporters were dreaming of seeing the Aussie replace Steve Clarke, following Scotland's disastrous World Cup campaign, albeit that never felt realistic. Well, that dream has now been extinguished, with the former Celtic boss landing a new job that surely few saw coming.
On Friday evening, it was announced that Postecoglou had been appointed the new manager of Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Following this news, the boss had this quote attached:
"At all my previous clubs, it ends the same. With me and a trophy. "Ange Postecoglou
Fair to assume, the Riyāḍh-based outfit are paying Postecoglou a fair amount more than the SFA could've afforded. He does have previous expirence of working in Asian club football, winning three trophies in charge of Brisbane Roar, leading them into the AFC Champions League for the first time. Before arriving at Celtic, he also won the J League as Yokohama F. Marino boss, guiding them to the Asian Champions League knockout stages too.
So, what should Postecoglou expect once he arrives at Al-Nassr? Well, last season, they won the Saudi Pro League title for the first time in seven years, having lost in numerous cup finals in recent times. The club are most famous for being the home of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 123 goals in 142 appearances since making the move to the Middle East. He though is not the only overseas star to call King Saud University Stadium home.
Al-Nassr's foreign players
Players | Position | Year joined |
|---|---|---|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Striker | 2023 |
João Félix | Forward | 2025 |
Sadio Mané | Forward | 2023 |
Kingsley Coman | Winger | 2025 |
Iñigo Martínez | Centre-back | 2025 |
Marcelo Brozović | Defensive midfielder | 2023 |
Jhon Durán | Striker | 2025 |
Mohamed Simakan | Centre-back | 2024 |
Ângelo Gabriel | Winger | 2024 |
Bento | Goalkeeper | 2024 |
Wesley | Winger | 2024 |
Postecoglou will find a star-studded squad once he arrives in Saudi Arabia, albeit one that will require plenty of figuring out. Clubs are only allowed to register ten overseas players, which is an increase on previous regulations, albeit only eight can be used on any given matchday.
Many will question he level of the Saudi Pro League; according to Global Football Rankings, it is the 36th best league in the world, three places below the Scottish Premiership and just above the top divisions of Romania, Algeria, Paraguay and Israel. Nevertheless, the limit on overseas players does present a unique challenge, so it'll be fascinating to see how Postecoglou does, or not, because nobody actually watches the Saudi League, do they?
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