The 47-year-old Argentine football coach and former professional player, the most successful manager in River Plate history, has accepted an 18-month contract to coach Karim Benzema, Fabinho and N’Golo Kanté at Al Ittihad, according to ESPN.
The Saudi Pro Leaguedefending champions reached a deal with the former River Plate manager after they fired Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo last week — just six months after he led them to a title win.
Al Ittihad currently sit fifth in the Saudi league table with a 7-3-3 record, 11 points behind league-leading Al Hilal.
Gallardo last coached one year ago when he led River Plate to a 4-0 win over Real Betis in a friendly held in Mendoza. His overall career record for 425 matches is 228-111-86.
He won 14 trophies in his eight years at the helm since 2014, including three Copa Libertadores triumphs, before leaving in October of 2022 to take a break from coaching.
As a player, he also won six league titles and one Copa Libertadores title with River Plate.
Al Ittihad will face Auckland City on December 12 in the Club World Cup.
Julian Alvarez is thisclose to heading to Manchester City…
ManCity is close to sealing a deal for the 21-year-old Argentine professional footballer and River Plate forward, according to ESPN sources.
City believe they have seen off competition from AC Milan for Alvarez with the final details to be ironed out before an agreement is reached. Sources have told ESPN the overall cost of the transfer could be less than £20 million.
It;s likely that Alvarez, who has already been capped five times by Argentina, won’t move to the Etihad Stadium until next summer at the earliest but sources have told ESPN he would be considered a first-team signing.
Until he is ready to move to England, City will consider loaning him back to River Plate or arranging another loan elsewhere.
Asked about Alvarez following the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday, Pep Guardiola remained tight-lipped.
“I don’t have any information from the club, anything,” he said.
“Not one word. I don’t know anything. I don’t have any information about the club.”
Alvarez is considered to be one of the best young players in South America and should City get a deal over the line, it would be a coup of the Premier League champions following interest from Milan, Barcelonaand Real Madrid.
City remain open to the idea that he could be part of Guardiola’s senior squad next season but sources have told ESPN his arrival would not change their plans to sign an established striker in the summer.
Club America has announced that it has hired the 44-year-old Argentine professional football manager and former player, a former Real Madridmanager, to fill the team’s vacant manager position.
The Liga MX giants fired Miguel Herrera on December 21 after the club crashed out of the Liga MX playoffs against bitter rival Chivas and then fell to LAFC in the semifinal of the CONCACAF Champions League on December 18.
Solari managed Real Madrid for a short spell between November 2018 and March 2019, before being sacked and replaced by Zinedine Zidane.
At club level, Solari played for River Plate, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, among others. He also made 11 appearances for the Argentina national team.
Solari will oversee his first match for Club America against Atletico San Luis when the Liga MX Clausura begins on January 9.
The 45-year-old Argentine former-footballer-turned-manager has confirmed that he’ll remain manager of the San Jose Earthquakes and won’t be leaving to take up the reins at Liga MX side C.F. Monterrey.
Since Almeyda was named the Quakes manager last year, there have been speculation that Almeyda would depart. Various reports last week had Almeyda exiting the Quakes to join up with LosRayados, who subsequently hired Antonio Mohamed.
Speaking at his season-ending press conference, Almeyda confirmed that he’s had several offers from different clubs over the course of the year, as well as one national team from South America. He added that his agent, Lalo Hernandez, had met with Monterrey officials.
“I thanked them that they thought about me,” said Almeyda about Monterrey with the help of a translator. “And keeping in mind the contract that I had here, I told them that I cannot keep going with these talks because my mind is here in San Jose and my players. And with the directors, we’ve talked about having project and moving up the hierarchy in this club and which I believe in, and which I’ve projected my life here now.”
Almeyda admitted that the Monterrey job was attractive, but that he sees his future in San Jose.
“A club like Monterrey is tempting to any coach, because they have a very rich squad, a marvelous club, and it’s a club in which any coach would dive in head first,” he said. “If I was in Monterrey and the same thing would have happened, I would have stayed in Monterrey because I keep my word. Many Mexican journalists have called me, throughout these days, which we spoke about. I publicly apologize because I never responded to their calls. So everything that was spoken was their own imagination and lies. That’s why I want to be honest with myself. I’ve been honest with people in San Jose, and I’ve been honest with the approach that Lalo Hernandez had there. I have nothing left to say but thank you to those people.”
Almeyda has previously managed River Plateand Banfield in his native Argentina, as well as Liga MX side Chivas. He said that in his previous stints, he had always left by mutual agreement, and not because he simply wanted to leave for a better job. Almeyda admitted that of the offers he received after his tenure with Chivas ended in 2018, San Jose’s offer was the lowest one economically.
“Coaches always get mad when we get fired,” he said. “We have to be coherent and keep going when we have a contract, although the tempting offers are 10 times larger than where you at.”
He added, “I have a group of players for which I’m grateful for what they put in. There’s staff, directors and owners who have given me all that they can. I’m only left to say that I’m grateful being in this place. I’m hopeful that this place will keep growing, that we can grow in terms of hierarchy every day. That’s why changing clubs doesn’t even cross my mind.”
In terms of next season, Almeyda said he didn’t expect there to be many changes to the Quakes’ roster and that the team would be selective in terms of its reinforcements. This despite the fact that while San Jose recorded a 23 point improvement this season, it failed to reach the MLS Cupplayoffs, losing nine of its last 11 games.
Liverpool and Tottenham are involved in a tug-of-war over the 23-year-old Argentine soccer player, a striker with Argentine Primera División team River Plate.
The Sun reports that Los Millonarios want £15 million for Alario, with Serie A clubs Inter Milan and Torino also ready to make offers.
The former Colon hit man has struck 20 goals in just 42 appearances, with five more assists since joining La Banda in the summer of 2015.
Alario, who made his international debut this year, is keen to play in the Premier League.
“Like every player, I dream to play in Europe at some point in my career,” he said. “For that, first I have to make things right at River, to keep growing and learning.”
Argentina is bidding arrivederci to Giovanni Simeone…
The 21-year-old Argentine soccer player, a striker for Argentina’s Club Atlético River Plate, is set to join Italy’s Genoa Cricket and Football Club, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport announced on Sunday.
Simeone, the son of former-player-turned-coach of Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone. Has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Italian side and will join Argentina national team.
Simeone will also participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
At the moment, there’s no official confirmation, but the Italian newspaper reported that the signing will cost three million euros.
The River Plate striker completed the 2015/16 season on loan with Banfield in the Argentine Primera Division.
The Saudi Pro League defending champions reached a deal with the former River Plate manager after they fired Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo last week — just six months after he led them to a title win. 
