'Lazy!': Nuno sacked by Saudi Pro League side after dressing room spat with Benzema
Suraj Radia
- 9 Nov 2023 14:41 CST
- 3 min read
Former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked by Saudi side Al-Ittihad this week after labelling summer signing Karim Benzema as ‘lazy’ following tension within the team.
Nuno had led Al-Ittihad to the Saudi Pro League title last season but this year they sit sixth, 11 points off leaders Al-Hilal, while the team’s loss in the Asian Champions League triggered a ‘heated conversation’ in the dressing room.
According to Al Riyadiah via AS, Nuno said to Benzema ‘You are a great player, but it seems that you are too lazy to put pressure on your rival’, to which the 35-year-old replied ‘don’t just talk to me, talk to the whole team’.
TOP SCORERS: The leading stars in the Saudi Pro League
However, Nuno told Benzema that he was the leader of the team and needed to set an example to his teammates but the striker ignored his manager’s justifications and continued to argue.
Benzema is also believed to have hinted to the Al-Ittihad board that the project could no continue with Nuno at the helm and the tension between the pair led to the manager losing his job just 24 hours after the dispute.
Having joined from Real Madrid in the summer, Benzema has netted five times in ten games – a number which puts him outside the top ten goalscorers in the league despite his pedigree.
Benzema Saudi dream tuning into nightmare
Benzema was one of the first players to move to the Saudi Pro League in the summer after announcing his intention to leave Real Madrid upon the expiry of his contract.
His arrival was seen as the first major coup for the league since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in the January and seemingly paved the way for a host of Europe’s top stars to make the lucrative move to the Gulf.
DONE DEALS: All the transfers from Saudi Pro League sides this season
However, despite the likes of Fabinho and N’Golo Kante playing alongside Benzema, Al-Ittihad’s form has been poor and they are a long way off retaining their title.
Al Ittihad are beaten in 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐪 🇮🇶 😲 pic.twitter.com/2608UqBy91
— 433 (@433) November 6, 2023
Zinedine Zidane is thought to be the club’s dream managerial appointment but he has so far declined any notion of moving to Saudi Arabia, while ex-Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc is also touted as a replacement for Nuno.
