Managerial Shakeup in the Saudi Pro League as Stjepan Tomas and Alvaro Pacheco Join Al Okhdood and Al Orobah, Respectively
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Saudi Pro League sides are upping their game to ensure they are competitive. Al Okhdood, who barely escaped relegation, and newcomers Al Orobah have appointed new managers to steer their ships in the new season.
At Al Okhdood, Stjepan Tomas will be taking the managerial mantle from Noureddine Zekri, who only joined the club in April. Zekri, chosen for his survival expertise, pulled off a great escape on the final day of the 2023-24 season with a 2-0 win away to Al Tai. However, his appointment was always meant to be a short-term “band-aid” to remain in the league as the club’s management explored their options for a manager suitable for the long term.
Tomas, a retired Croatian international, spent his formative years in management as an assistant at various Turkish clubs from 2014 to 2019. In 2019, he became head coach and has managed various Turkish clubs since then. Most recently, he was the head coach of NK Osijek in Croatia, his first managerial job outside Turkey.
With Al Okhdood having finished 15th in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season, Tomas will have his work cut out for him to ensure the team improves in the upcoming season and starts to climb up the table to ensure a more comfortable ending to the season.
After finishing second in the First Division League, Al Orobah earned their promotion to the Saudi Pro League and they have settled on Portuguese Alvaro Pacheco as the man to guide them at the top level. As a player, he played in the lower division, and upon retirement, his management journey started as an assistant manager.
In 2018, he was appointed head coach at Fafe and then at Vizela a year later. At Vizela, he secured back-to-back promotions to the top flight. Since then, he’s managed other clubs in his homeland before switching to Brazil in his last job before Al Orobah.
The immediate task for the former striker will be to assess the squad and consult with the management on possible additions to ensure the team is competitive and capable of staying up.
