Portuguese coach Jaime Pacheco has arrived in Cairo in the late hours of Friday to finalise a deal to take charge of Egypt's Zamalek following the sacking of Hossam Hassan.

The 56-year-old was among a handful of foreign coaches in a Zamalek shortlist that included the likes of Hector Cuper and Carlos Bianchi as the struggling outfit sought to replace Egypt's all-time leading scorer following a disappointing start to the season.

Zamalek, who signed more than a dozen players in the close season to bolster an underachieving squad, thumped Talae El-Geish 6-1 in their opening Premier League game but had to settle for two 0-0 draws with Dakhleya and Ittihad El-Shorta after wasting a host of goal-scoring chances in both games.

The club's outspoken chairman Mortada Mansour, who has a short fuse, quickly lost patience with Hassan, dismissing him after just six matches in charge of one of Egypt and Africa's most successful sides.

Pacheco is best known for leading Boavista to a stunning Portuguese league title in 2001, which marked the second time a team outside the big three (Porto, Benfia and Sporting Lisbon) to win the premier domestic competition.

They also reached the European Champions League group stage under his guidance and remarkably qualified for the UEFA Cup semi-final in 2003 before losing to Celtic.

He won the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Cup with Saudi Arabia's Al-Shabab in 2009 before taking charge of China's Beijing Guoan for his last stint before being lured by Zamalek.

Pacheco also had spells with Spain's Mallorca and Pacos Ferreira, Rio Ave, Uniao Lamas, Vitoria Guimaraes and Belenenses in Portugal.

He is expected to be officially unveiled as Zamalek's new coach on Saturday.

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