Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour has revealed that Belgian tactician Georges Leekens is favoured for the vacant post of team manager following the departure of Mohamed Helmi. "We are close to hiring Leekens. He is expected to bring a fellow countryman with him as assistant," Mansour told reporters on Thursday. Coach Helmi, the sixth man to take charge of Zamalek this season, resigned late on Wednesday following a second straight defeat to South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns in the African Champions League. The Whites are second in the group with three points and need one more point in their last game against Enyimba at home to seal their qualification for the semi-finals. The board has been weighting their options in looking for an experienced foreign coach to bring the team back on the right track after losing the league title to arch-rivals Ahly. Mansour revealed in the early hours of Thursday that he is examining several resumes from Belgian and Argentinean coaches. Frenchman Patrice Carteron was also on the short list but is not likely to be hired as he has two more years with Wadi Degla and a $75,000 monthly salary that is not affordable by the club. The 68-year-old Leekens is in charge of Jupiler League side Lokeren. The former Belgium coach has had several stints in Africa, taking charge of Algeria in 2003 and Tunisia in 2014. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
