Veteran Portuguese coach Manuel Jose Da Silva has extended his thanks to Zamalek's board members for signing his fellow countryman Jaime Pacheco to lead the team.

Zamalek officially announced on Sunday that Portuguese coach Jaime Pacheco signed a one-year contract with an option to be extended, replacing coach Hossam Hassan who was sacked last month due to the team's poor results in the Egyptian Premier League.

"Signing Pacheco will help Zamalek be a tough opponent and compete in competitions in the coming period," Manuel Jose told a television programme.

The Cairo giants signed more than a dozen players at the end of the season to bolster their underachieving squad.

"Zamalek's board succeeded in boosting their squad by signing new talented players that can help the newly-signed coach compete for titles," Jose added.

Da Silva is considered the most successful coach in the history of Egyptian football, winning a total of 20 titles, including four CAF Champions League trophies.

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