Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek are set to reach an agreement with Frenchman Philippe Troussier to coach the team next season. A Zamalek official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FilGoal.com on Monday that talks between the club and the former Marseille manager have reached its final stages. The 53-year-old coach is set to come to Cairo on April 20th to "seal the deal" with the White Castle, according to the source. Egyptian media reports had hinted that Zamalek were in talks with a renowned French manager, with former Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre leading the nominees for the post. However, Zamalek officials promptly denied the link.
Ruud Krol and Mohamed Helmi weren't very successful with Zamalek Zamalek seem to have approached Troussier after he was overlooked by Azerbaijan for the position of national team head coach, which was landed by German Berti Vogts. Troussier, who is nicknamed the White Witch Doctor, has a long history of coaching in the Black Continent, having managed Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco. He also had spells with ASEC Abidjan, Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa and Moroccan FUS Rabat. The French boss, who also coached Qatar and Japan, had converted to Islam in 2006 when he was living in the Moroccan capital and changed his name to Omar Troussier. If the deal does go through Troussier will be the second French coach to takeover at Zamalek in less than two years after compatriot Henri Michel who quit his post in the summer of 2007.
