Conceicao named as Blanc´s succesor with Saudi champions Al-Ittihad

Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad have announced Sergio Conceicao as their new head coach following the departure of Laurent Blanc last month.

Conceicao, who has put pen to paper on a deal until 2028, was last in charge of AC Milan before being sacked in May after an eighth-placed finish in Serie A.

Al-Ittihad surprisingly parted ways with Blanc in September following a 2-0 defeat to rivals Al-Nassr, leaving them down in third in the league table after four games of the season.

The Frenchman won 35 of his 46 games in charge across all competitions (D5 L6), leading the club to a domestic double during his first campaign at the helm.

But his replacement comes with pedigree, with Conceicao lifting 12 major titles in his managerial career, the latest of which came in January in the Supercoppa Italiana.

Welcome, our new coach Conceição pic.twitter.com/nwD0iSuBat

— Al-Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) October 8, 2025

That success was his second game in charge of Milan. However, results failed to improve, with the Rossoneri also knocked out in the Champions League play-off round.

Milan’s last hope of salvaging the season ended earlier in May with a 1-0 defeat to Bologna in the Coppa Italia final, missing out on European football for the first time since 2019.

Across his 31 matches in charge of Milan in all competitions, Conceicao won 16 matches (D5 L10), managing 1.71 points per game.

The 50-year-old’s first game in charge of his new team will come on October 17 away to Al-Fayha.