Slaven Bilic Appointed as Manager of Saudi Club Al-Fateh

Saudi Arabian club Al-Fateh has announced the appointment of Croatian coach Slaven Bilic as the head coach of the first football team, succeeding Greek manager Giorgos Donis, starting from the upcoming season.

Bilic is considered one of the top coaches, having started his coaching career with spells under the tutelage of legendary manager Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Italian Marcelo Lippi. He then took charge of the Croatian U21 national team from 2004 to 2006 and led the senior national team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008. His tenure as the national team coach concluded in 2012.

Bilic also boasts an impressive club career, having managed Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, Turkish side Besiktas, and later moving on to coach West Ham United in the English Premier League. During his time at West Ham from 2015 to 2017, he achieved positive results, including qualification for European competitions.

Furthermore, Bilic has experience in the Saudi Arabian league, having coached Al-Ittihad in the 2018 season. He then went on to manage West Bromwich Albion in 2019, Beijing Sinobo Guoan in China in 2021, and Watford in England in 2022, before returning to Saudi Arabia through Al-Fateh.