Esperance of Tunisia have reached an agreement with their former coach Nabil Maaloul to take over the helm from Michel Decastel, who was sacked due to the team's recent run of poor performances. "I agreed with the Esperance chairman that we will sign new players for the coming season," Maaloul was quoted as saying on the club's official website. The 49-year-old enjoyed a memorable season with the club in 2011, winning the league and cup titles, and their first African Champions League title since 1994 after beating Morocco's Wydad Casablanca 1-0 in the final's second leg. He left the club to join the Al Jazeera sports channel. "I will travel to France on Sunday to terminate my contract with Al Jazeera," Maaloul added. Under the helm of Maaloul, Esperance had a golden chance to take on Spanish giants Barcelona in the Club World Cup semifinal in January, but suffered a 2-1 defeat by Qatar's Al-Sadd in the tournament's second round. African champions Esperance axed Swiss coach Michel Decastel due to the team's poor performance in recent matches. His final match in charge was a 1-0 loss to Club Sportif Sfaxien on Wednesday. Esperance were held to three draws this month and supporters lost patience with their coach, who had formerly managed Morocco's Wydad Casablanca. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter: @AO Sports) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/43103.aspx