Contacts between Saudi national team officials and the Portuguese Jorge Jesus, the former Al-Nasr coach, stopped at the initial inquiry stage, without developing into official negotiations, according to what his lawyer Luis Miguel confirmed.
The Saudi Football Federation is studying the dismissal of Greek coach Georgios Donis from the task of coaching the Saudi Green, after the Saudi national team bid farewell to the World Cup competitions from the group stage.
Miguel said in statements to the Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiya: "I do not think that will happen, and that Jesus will become the coach of the Saudi national team".
He added, "There were indeed talks with officials after the end of his journey with Al-Nasr about this possibility, but nothing tangible happened".
He continued, "The most likely possibility is that Jesus wants to stay in Portugal, and there are no offers for him from there until this moment, while he has offers from Qatar, Turkey and Brazil, and we have to wait to see what will happen in the coming period".
The name of Jesus was linked to coaching the Saudi national team after the Green bid farewell to the World Cup from the group stage, without the Saudi Federation entering into official negotiations with him.
The Portuguese coach had left Al-Nasr after winning the Saudi League title, refusing to renew his contract with the club, before the latter contracted with the Australian Ange Postecoglou for two seasons, who officially began his duties in preparation for the new season.
The Saudi newspaper had mentioned that the Saudi Football Federation is studying the dismissal of the Greek Georgios Donis, coach of the Saudi national team after the World Cup farewell.
The report explained that Jesus welcomes the experience of coaching the Green, after the end of his journey with Al-Nasr, which saw him win the Saudi League title.
The report added that Jesus is waiting for official communication to begin from the Saudi Football Federation.
The report indicated that in the event of an official offer reaching the Portuguese coach, he will give his approval to enter into final negotiations.
Jesus previously preferred to continue working with clubs, but his position has now changed, given his great appreciation for Saudi Arabia, in addition to his extensive knowledge of the national team and the players, after he had previously supervised a large number of its players during his two coaching periods with Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr, according to the report.
The Saudi Federation appointed Donis last April as coach of the first national team until July 2027, succeeding the Frenchman Hervé Renard.
Jesus led Al-Nasr Club to win the title of the previous edition of the Saudi League, and also achieved the Saudi League title earlier with Al-Hilal.
Donis took over coaching the Saudi national team succeeding the Frenchman Hervé Renard, who was dismissed a month before the start of the World Cup.
The Spanish national team topped Group Eight with 7 points, followed by Cape Verde with 3 points, then Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, each with two points.
The Cape Verde national team advanced from the group stage in its first historic participation in the World Cup.
The Saudi national team became the fifth Arab team to bid farewell to the World Cup after Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia and Jordan.
