Former France coach Laurent Blanc has been appointed as the new manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.
Blanc has been out of work since September 2023, having left Lyon by “mutual agreement” with the club bottom of Ligue 1 at the time.
The 58-year-old replaces Marcelo Gallardo, who departed at the end of the 2023-24 season after failing to qualify for the Asian Champions League.
Blanc will join compatriots Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante at Al-Ittihad.
Previously, Blanc has held managerial positions at Bordeaux, France’s national team, Paris St-Germain, Qatari club Al-Rayyan, and Lyon.
He led Bordeaux to the Ligue 1 title in the 2008-09 season, ending a 10-year wait for league honors, and won three championships during his three-year tenure at PSG. He also guided France to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.
As a player, Blanc had a distinguished career in France, Italy, Spain, and England, playing for teams such as Montpellier, Barcelona, Manchester United—where he won the Premier League in 2003—and Inter Milan.
Al-Ittihad, a nine-time Saudi Pro League champion, most recently won the league in the 2022-23 season but finished fifth last season.