‘Verbal’ deal with Advocaat as new Dutch coach

The paperwork for the return of the 69-year-old, currently at Turkish club Fenerbahce, “most likely will be completed this week”, his business manager Rob Jansen told the ANP national news agency.

Advocaat has “a verbal agreement” with the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB), Jansen said.

Dutch tabloid Algemeen Dagblad reported Advocaat and the KNVB had “definitively reached an agreement as national coach until November”.

“The new national coach and the federation however still have to ink the agreement,” it added.

There was no immediate confirmation from the KNVB.

Advocaat — who previously managed the national side from 1992 to 1994 and 2002 to 2004 — would take over from Danny Blind, who was sacked in March after a 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria that left the team’s chances of reaching the World Cup finals hanging by the slenderest of threads.

Advocaat is under contract at Fenerbahce until June 1 but should be released in time for a friendly against Morocco on May 31, daily tabloid De Telegraaf reported late last month.

The Netherlands, three-time World Cup runners-up, have endured a torrid time in recent years, failing to qualify for Euro 2016 in France and now facing the prospect of missing next year’s World Cup in Russia.

The defeat in Sofia left the side fourth in qualifying group A, trailing six points behind leaders France, to the horror of millions of fans of the vaunted “Oranje”, once known for their “total football” that saw them reach the World Cup finals in 1974, as well as in 1978 and 2010.