Portuguese Sa Pinto to be unveiled as new Esteghlal coach
Portuguese manager Ricardo Sa Pinto will be unveiled as the new head coach of Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal today in Tehran.
Sa Pinto, 52, who reached agreement on a season-long deal with the Blues in late June, arrived in the Iranian capital on Tuesday ahead of signing the contract and the club’s preseason.
This will be a second a spell at Esteghlal for the Portuguese following the 2022/23 season.
He led the club to 23 wins and eight draws in 36 matches as Esteghlal finished third in the Iranian league before suffering a 2-1 defeat against archival Persepolis in the domestic cup final.
Sa Pinto left Esteghlal for APOEL Nicosia and lifted the Cypriot First Division trophy before joining Raja Casablanca the following season.
Sa Pinto, who had been without a job since parting ways with the Moroccan club last December, takes over from interim coach Mojtaba Jabbari.
The former Esteghlal midfielder steered the Blues to the Hazfi Cup title, thanks to a 1-0 extra time victory over Malavan in May.
The cup glory came as a relief after a dreadful campaign for the Blues, who had six managers on the bench throughout last season and settled for a nine-place finish in the 16-team league table.
Esteghlal, which will be part of the AFC Champions League Two next season, has made four summer signings in Tractor center-back Aref Aqasi, Shams Azar midfielder Esmaeil Qolizadeh, Malavan defender Saman Fallah, and teenage midfielder Amir-Mohammad Razzaqinia from Golgohar Sirjan.
The Blues are also in advanced talks with Uzbekistan international defender Rustamjon Aahurmatov, who is set to join from Rubin Kazan, and Kayserispor midfielder Ali Karimi.