Esteghlal’s quest for coach drags on as Spanish Sanchez Flores enters the fray
Esteghlal’s complicated quest for a new manager took another twist on Saturday after Spaniard Quique Sanchez Flores’s name was brought up for the job at the Persian Gulf Pro League giant.
It looked to be just a matter of time before former Esteghlal midfielder Javad Nekounam is unveiled as the new Tehran-based Blues’ boss but the club’s caretaker CEO Hojjat Karimi, in an Instagram post on Saturday, urged the Esteghlal faithful to be “patient” as the board looks to avoid “a hasty and emotional decision-making and will come up with the best choice for Esteghlal’s managerial role within few days.”
The announcement came after several sources reported on Friday that Esteghlal had reached full agreement with Nekounam, but the ex-Iranian international is reportedly facing legal barriers to take the job due to his controversial departure from Foolad Khuzestan in March.
Nekounam, who led the southern Iran side to the Iranian Hazfi Cup triumph in 2021, stepped down from his job hours after a last-16 win against Saudi side Al Faisaly in Doha over a rift with the club hierarchy.
Esteghlal had also been in talks with Iranian Mohammad Rabiei, who impressed during his five-year tenure at Mes Rafsanjan – steering his team to a fifth-spot finish in the Iranian top flight in the newly-finished campaign – as well as Spanish coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro – a former manager in La Liga outfits Levante and Celta Vigo plus Saudi Arabia, Oman and Spain under-21 team.
Meanwhile, IRNA and Fars News Agency reported on Sunday that Esteghlal is also considering a move for Sanchez Flores and the Spaniard is set to visit Tehran on Thursday for further negotiations.
Should the Spanish coach join Esteghlal, he will be among the most prominent managers to step into Iranian club football in recent years.
The Valencia and Benfica boss in the 2000s, Sanchez Flores was in charge of Atletico Madrid when the Spanish capital giant lifted the UEFA Europa League and Super Cup in 2010.
Sanchez Flores, who was the head coach of Premier League club Watford over two spells, is familiar with working in the Middle East as he enjoyed decent spells at Emirati teams Al Ahli and Al Ain from 2011 to 2014.
His last job was at La Liga side Getafe, where he was relieved of his duties in April with the club fighting relegation with seven matches to spare.
Esteghlal’s job has been vacant since Portuguese Ricardo Sa Pinto ended his one-year stint at the club in May to join Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia, after the Iranian Blues finished third the league and were beaten 2-1 in extra time by archrival Persepolis in the Hazfi Cup final.