Friday, 30th September, 2011
Anzhi Makhachkala have sacked coach Gadzhi Gadzhiyev and appointed Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos as caretaker player-manager.
The former Real Madrid legend is expected to fill in at Anzhi until billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov can tempt a successor to Dagestan, with one name that has been consistently mooted that of ex-Chelsea coach Avram Grant.
But no matter who Kerimov eventually hands the reins to, Anzhi’s policy of big spending on big names is all set to continue – something caretaker coach Carlos admits.
"I’ll have a meeting with the boss later tonight and we’ll discuss plans", said the Brazilian.
"We’ve already talked about trying to sign players like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard or Robert Pires."
Gadzhiyev paid the price for failing to keep the side in the hunt for the Russian Premier League’s top spots, with Anzhi having fallen from fourth to seventh in recent weeks.
There were also question marks over the then-coach’s ability to coax the performances required out of the club’s big names.
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