Dan Petrescu joins Al Nasr hotlist
Former Chelsea and Romania defender third name on shortlist to succeed Zenga
Dubai: Former Chelsea and Romania defender Dan Petrescu is the third name on Al Nasr’s three-man shortlist to succeed sacked coach Walter Zenga, according to a source at the club.
Former Brazil manager Mano Menezes, 50, and ex-Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster, 53, have previously been linked to the vacancy at the Al Maktoum Stadium, but Petrescu’s name is the most viable.
The 45-year-old has reportedly just parted company with Russian club Dynamo Moscow after they failed to qualify for Europe this season.
Reports in the Russian press have already linked Petrescu to a return to his former club Kuban Krasnodar or across town to Lokomotiv Moscow, but Gulf News understands Al Nasr is the alternative option.
A spokesman for Al Nasr refused to confirm or deny this suggestion, but said a deal was close and that the successful applicant would be named within the next 48 hours.
The source at the club said: “It will be finalised tomorrow or the day after. It’s important to complete the appointment of the new coach soon before Ramadan and in order to finalise foreign players before the transfer window closes.”
As a player Petrescu, won the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup and the Super Cup with Chelsea in 1998, as well as the League Cup and FA Cup during a five-year spell at the London club.
This followed a European Cup runners-up medal in 1989 from a six-year spell at Romania’s Steaua Bucharest, where he also won three Romanian league and cup titles.
He scored 12 goals in 95 appearances for Romania between 1989 and 2000, participating in two World Cups and two European Championships.
Having started his club career in Romania with Steaua in 1985, he then moved to Foggia and Genoa in Italy before spells in England with Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford City and Southampton. He ended his career back in Romania with National Bucharest in 2003.
As a manager, he led Unirea Urziceni to the Romanian league title in 2009 and Koban Krasnodar to the Russian First Division title in 2010. He also earlier managed Romania’s Rapid Bucharest, Sportul Studentesc and Poland’s Wisla Krakow, where he finished second in the Polish league in 2006.
Former Italy keeper Walter Zenga left Al Nasr last week after three years at the helm. He led the club to third and second-place finishes in his first two seasons, but couldn’t follow it up with the title this year, finishing sixth and failing to get beyond the Asian Champions League group phase in two attempts. Technical director Sven-Goran Eriksson had been expected to fill the Al Nasr hotseat, but instead joined Chinese Super League outfit R&F Guangzhou.
