Former Aberdeen defender Antoine Kombouare has again expressed his desire to manage the Dons, saying he would be willing to cut short a holiday in Mauritius to hold talks over the position. The 62-year-old is out of work after leaving Paris FC over the summer.
Kombouare, born in New Caledonia, spent two seasons at Pittodrie between 1996 and 1998 after spells in France with Nantes, Paris Saint-Germain and Sion. He retired as a player in 1999 before building a coaching career in Ligue 1, guiding two of his former clubs, PSG and Nantes, to Coupe de Ligue and Coupe de France glory in 2010 and 2022 respectively.
Paris FC spell and current availability
At Paris FC, Kombouare won six of his 11 matches to steer the team to safety in their first season back in Ligue 1. He has since been replaced by Liam Rosenior, the former Chelsea and Strasbourg boss. Apart from a short stint with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Kombouare has spent his entire coaching career in France, and earlier this month he reportedly turned down the chance to take charge of struggling Ligue 1 side Le Havre.
Kombouare set tongues wagging among the Red Army last December when he admitted he would love to return to Pittodrie and manage the club one day. He has now reiterated that desire, with Aberdeen on the lookout for a replacement for sacked Stephen Robinson.
Dons search and Kombouare's stance
Record Sport understands that seven candidates have been drawn up by Aberdeen chief executive Adrian Bevington and sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, though former Young Boys boss Raphael Wicky and ex-Scotland manager Steve Clarke are not among those names, contrary to reports elsewhere.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Kombouare said: "Why not? Of course. I’ve done everything in France. I’ve managed nine clubs in France, and I was one year in Saudi Arabia. Why not for the experience? Especially (for) a club I played for before – I know this is a great place of football, the fans are unbelievable. So why not?"
He added: "But it depends on the people there, especially the direction. All the time it’s a question of the objectives of the club, what they want – if they want to play for Europe at the end of the season. The objective is very important, and to know about the players, the team, the squad. Aberdeen should be… Normally, the worst position is fifth in the table.
"When clubs are in difficulty, they call me, and most of the time, we do a very good job. I have so many experiences, so now I know how to solve the problem in a club, how to do my job. I have my staff with me, we know how to manage – especially to success."
