Alfred Schreuder is no longer the coach of Saudi second-division club Al-Diraiyah. The club announced this on Thursday.
This development means the Dutchman can now dedicate his full attention to his second role: since March, he has been Julian Nagelsmann’s assistant coach for the German national team. Consequently, he will be with the DFB team when they compete in the World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada in June.
Schreuder’s departure from Al-Diraiyah comes as a surprise, as the club narrowly missed direct promotion to the Saudi Pro League. They still have an opportunity to achieve their pre-season goal of promotion through the playoffs. Schreuder had only taken over the team in December.
Al-Diraiyah’s squad includes well-known European names such as Moussa Marega (formerly FC Porto), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (formerly Tottenham and Besiktas), Oscar Rodriguez (formerly Real Madrid and Sevilla), and Gaetan Laborde (formerly Bordeaux and Montpellier).
Nagelsmann and Schreuder: A Shared Past at Hoffenheim
Nagelsmann and Schreuder know each other from their time together at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, where Schreuder served as the assistant coach to the current national team manager between February 2016 and January 2018. ‘He inspired me as a young coach with his courage, ambition, and expertise. We have remained in good contact even after that period,’ Schreuder explained in March.
Nagelsmann hopes Schreuder’s involvement will provide a boost for the upcoming World Cup: ‘With his experience, he is an enormous asset to our team looking ahead to the World Cup. We decided to bring him in as an additional expert so that Mads Buttgereit can fully concentrate on set pieces during training,’ he stated.
Alfred Schreuder: Extensive Experience as Head Coach and Assistant
The 53-year-old Schreuder has moved between head coach and assistant coach positions multiple times throughout his career. As the main man in charge, he coached FC Twente (2014-2015), TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (2019-2020), Club Brugge (2022), and Ajax Amsterdam (2022-2023) before his move to Saudi Arabia.
Germany’s Group Stage Matches at the World Cup:
| June 14, 7 PM | Germany vs. Curacao |
| June 20, 10 PM | Germany vs. Ivory Coast |
| June 25, 10 PM | Ecuador vs. Germany |