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Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani with his son Nasser.
The search for a new head coach hindered by the reputation of Sheikh Al-Thani

The search for a new head coach hindered by the reputation of Sheikh Al-Thani

A number of coaches sounded out for a possible move to Malaga next season have expressed concerns over the owner's running of the club

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Thursday, 12 April 2018, 18:34

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Malaga's search for a new head coach continues. While current coach José González will have his contract extended by a year if he keeps the team up, the club is already working on the assumption that they will be in Segunda next season.

Unlike the pursuit of Javi Gracia four years ago when it became known he would take over the side while still in charge at Osasuna, very few details are emerging from the club as many of the believed candidates are under still contract at other clubs.

This isn't the only stumbling block though, with many coaches believing the Malaga job is something of a poisoned chalice while Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani remains at the helm.

Sporting director Mario Husillos' first choice was Juan Ramón Muñiz but the two-time Malaga coach, despite having a strong connection to the city and attracted by the prestige and fanbase of the club, rejected the advances as he couldn't be given sufficient reassurance of the role of the sheikh in the running of the club.

Husillos on the lookout for a coach with Segunda experience

  • Following the refusal of first-choice target Juan Ramón Muñiz, sporting director Mario Husillos has intensified the search for a new head coach and has been sounding out a number of candidates.

  • It is believed at this stage that the only criteria for the new man are that he has experience with teams in the second tier (and first if possible) and that his appointment would galvanise the fanbase.

  • The most obvious candidates are those currently in the upper reaches of Segunda whose contracts are up in the summer. These are Oviedo's Juan Antonio Anquela and Numancia's Jagoba Arraste.

  • Of those currently without a club and who fit the bill are Paco Herrera, who has previously brought both Celta and, more recently, Las Palmas back to the big time, and Fran Escribá, sacked by Villarreal earlier this season but who had success earning promotion with Elche.

  • Mallorca's Vicente Moreno is also under consideration.

Across Spain it is widely recognised that Al-Thani's running of the club has been a major factor in the current predicament. Many point to his prolonged absences (currently 300 days and counting), as well as removal of any hierarchy as reasons for the club's demise.

What's more, the lack of haste in decision-making (which saw Pablo Fornals move to Villarreal this summer for a fraction of his market value, for example), as well as periodical interventions, make taking the coaching job a risky one.

According to a well-known agent: Everyone knows that the Malaga job is an adventure that could go great but could also end a coach's career.

While Malaga will undoubtedly be a leading contender to regain top-flight status at the first time of asking, the squad needs a major overhaul and the new coach will need to have everyone around him pulling in the same direction to make a success of that.

Unfortunately in Malaga's case, this is far from assured.

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