Zamalek have opened talks with French coach Jacques Santini over the possibility of him taking over at the Cairo giants, a club official said on Thursday. "Santini will arrive in Cairo on Saturday to engage in formal talks with Zamalek over the team's vacant managerial job," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FilGoal.com. FilGoal.com learned that another Frenchman, Rene Girard, the former France U-21 manager, is also a candidate to coach Zamalek. Zamalek are seeking to find a replacement for German tactician Reiner Hollmann, who was sacked in December after a string of poor results. They were close to finalizing talks with Henri Michel over re-appointing him as their new manager, but negotiations fell through after Zamalek declined to pay the Frenchman's release clause in his Mamelodi Sundowns contract. Ahmed Refaat is currently in charge of the White Knights on a temporary basis. During Refaat's short spell at the helm, the title holders exited the Egyptian Cup after suffering a stunning 1-0 defeat to third-division side Bani Obeid in the competition's round of 32. French Experience Santini has a plenty of experience in managing French Ligue 1 teams. He previously coached Toulouse, Lille, Saint-Etienne and Olympique Lyon, the club he led to the league title in 2002. Santini also tried his luck in the Premiership with Tottenham Hotspur in 2004 but resigned 13 after his appointment for personal reasons. The 56-year-old was then appointed as Auxerre coach but he made little impact and was shown the door in 2006. He has been out of work since then. On the international stage, Santini replaced Roger Lemerre as France coach in 2002 but resigned from his post before EURO 2004.
