Brazilian coach Alexandre Gallo has a critical couple of days ahead of him that will determine whether he eventually becomes the new head coach at Kaizer Chiefs in the New Year.
Chiefs have Cavin Johnson as the interim head coach but have been talking to prospective candidates that have included Gallo, while also considering other options.
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Gallo is currently with Brazilian Serie A club, Santos, in Sao Paulo working as the co-ordinator on a deal running up to the end of December.
So crucial will be the next couple of days for the 56-year-old.
Firstly, Santos's Serie A status in Brazil is not completely secure yet as they still a point at home against Fortaleza in the last game of the season on Thursday (02h30) to avoid having to look over their shoulders.
A defeat for Santos coupled with a win for Bahia and at least a point for Vasco da Gama will leave the famous club relegated to Serie B.
With no win in the last four games, Gallo has this week moved closer to head coach Marcelo Fernandes in the bid to secure the club's status in the top tier of the Brazilian national league.
Santos have never been relegated.
After Thursday, there will be elections to determine the next president of Santos – a club that has members casting their ballot to determine who leads the club.
If Marcelo Pirilo Teixeira is voted in for his third stint as club president, then Gallo will have the option of staying on at Santos and possibly becoming the head coach next year despite the ongoing talks with Chiefs.
Gallo played for Santos while Teixeira was president in the 1990s and this website has been told the two have remained close since then.
Santos currently have Andres Rueda as president.
Then with regards to talks with Chiefs, Gallo has made clear his intentions of bringing his own key technical support team to include assistant, fitness trainer, performance analyst, and possibly a goalkeeper coach.
The Brazilian has done his own research about the nature of politics that led to the downfall of previous coaches at Chiefs and has been told that if he comes alone to then he will suffer.
What could swing in Chiefs' favour is that Gallo has indicated his desire to work in a new environment.
With the research that Gallo has done he was happy with the facilities and the club's structures but was worried with the response that he got about why the club will reach nine years without winning silverware next year.
For now, this website can confirm that Gallo put his conditions on the table for Chiefs and left it for the club to make the final call from the video meeting call that he had with the Motaungs.
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Gallo – who has a good command of English – also has options from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates where he has worked before.
The former Brazil national team youth coach has also worked in Japan.