Vissel Kobe have put former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal at the top of their shortlist as the ambitious J.League club seek a new coach, according to reports in Tokyo.
Kobe, who signed ex-Germany international Lukas Podolski in June, fired coach Nelsinho on Monday. The Brazilian has been in charge since 2015, but despite high hopes ahead of the current campaign, the Kansai club suffered a third consecutive defeat at the weekend to fall to 11th place in the 18-team league.
Taken over by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten in 2014, Kobe have never been one of Japanese football's traditional giants.