Football
John Duerden, Asia correspondent 6y

Ex-West Ham boss Slaven Bilic appointed by Saudi side Al Ittihad

Slaven Bilic has been appointed head coach of Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, his first coaching position since being sacked by West Ham last season.

Bilic, who has also taken charge of Croatia, Lokomotiv Moscow and Besiktas, signed a three-year deal on Thursday.

"Bilic will train Ittihad throughout the upcoming phase of the sports season," the club said in a statement.

"The board wished Bilic all success in his new mission to help Ittihad regain its outstanding performances."

Bilic, who will lead Al Ittihad in the AFC Champions League in February, has a tough challenge to bring success back to the eight-time Saudi title-winners.

After finishing ninth in the table last season, the club appointed Ramon Diaz in May but sacked the Argentine after two games of the current campaign.

Having taken only one point from their first four games, and 11 points adrift of rivals Al Hilal, Al Ittihad are expected to make money available for Bilic to spend in January.

The club have been linked with a move for Brazilian forward Keno of Egyptian team Pyramids FC.

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