Postecoglou, Papas reunite as Saudi Pro League rivals

(Al Ettifaq & Al Nassr/Instagram)

Ange Postecoglou and Arthur Papas have reunited in the Saudi Pro League after being appointed head coaches of Al Nassr and Al Ettifaq respectively.

Papas served as one of Postecoglou’s assistants during the latter’s three-year spell at Yokohama F. Marinos, helping the club win the 2019 J1 League title before embarking on his own managerial career.

Since leaving Yokohama, Papas has managed Kagoshima United, Newcastle Jets, Buriram United and Cerezo Osaka, where he guided the club to third place in the one-off J1 100 Year Vision League and was named the J.League West Division Manager of the Year.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou has managed Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, adding the Scottish Premiership and UEFA Europa League among his list of honours in the process.

The pair are among several new managerial appointments across the Saudi Pro League ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Former Benfica boss Bruno Lage has taken charge of Al Diriyah, while Brazilian coach Fabio Carille has joined Al Fayha.

Other new faces include Serbian tactician Zarko Lazetic at Al Taawoun and Portuguese coach Jose Gomes at Al Khaleej.