Al Ahly have confirmed the appointment of José Riveiro as their new head coach on a two-year deal.

The Spaniard takes over from Swiss coach Marcel Koller, who was sacked recently despite winning 11 trophies in three years, including two CAF Champions League titles.

The idiom “straight out of the frying pan into the fire” can best describe Riveiro’s move following his departure from Orlando Pirates.

Riveiro proved his critics wrong at Pirates, who weren’t convinced by his CV when he took over the reins in 2022. To his credit, he won five trophies with the Buccaneers.

In Egypt, all eyes would be on him to see if he can deliver the CAF Champions League, which eluded the Red Devils this season after losing to Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals.

Over to you, Mr. Riveiro.

He’s backed himself up by roping in his preferred technical team members.

He took along Carlos Nodar Paz to be his assistant. Paz served as physical trainer during their Pirates days.

The other technical team members are Miguel Pepeira (physical trainer), Juan Jose (goalkeeper coach), Sebastian Podsiadly (performance analyst), and Emad El Nahhas (general coach), who was recommended by the Al Ahly management.

If reports are anything to go by, Riveiro is set to earn a monthly salary of $135,000 (R2.4 million), including the salaries of his backroom staff.

And as they say, to whom much is given, much is expected.