Valery Grinkovsky, general director of Arsenal Tula, has responded to reports that Dmitry Alenichev could be named the club's new head coach, saying several candidates are currently being discussed for the role.
Grinkovsky told Match TV that he could only confirm a number of candidates were under consideration, but declined to give further details because the club was in the middle of negotiations. He said there was no need to get ahead of events and suggested the club would make a calm, formal announcement on Monday or Tuesday.
Vacancy left by Gunko's exit
The head coach position at Arsenal Tula became vacant after Dmitry Gunko left the club. Gunko departed following a 0:1 defeat to Tekstilshchik in the fourth round of the Russian Cup.
Since that loss, Arsenal Tula have sat 10th in the Russian First League after 10 rounds of the season, with 12 points.
Alenichev's history with the club
Alenichev, 53, is one of the names being considered for the vacant post. He previously served as head coach of Arsenal Tula between 2011 and 2015, a spell in which he guided the club up from the Russian Second League into the Russian Premier League, the country's top division.
Alenichev is best known as a former midfielder who played for Spartak Moscow and FC Porto, and who won the UEFA Champions League with Porto in 2004 before later moving into coaching.
He has not worked at a club since the end of May 2019, when he left his post as head coach of Yenisei, a First League side based in Krasnoyarsk.
What comes next
According to Grinkovsky, Arsenal Tula expect to formally announce their choice of head coach in the coming days, with Monday or Tuesday cited as the likely timeframe for the decision to be made public.
