Anzhi Makhachkala fire coach Gadzhiev

Anzhi Makhachkala have fired coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev, fueling speculation the big-spending Russians have a big-name manager lined up to take his place. In a website announcement on Thursday, the Dagestan-based club gave no reason for the dismissal, saying only: "The leadership of FC Anzhi has taken the decision to release head coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev from his post." "The club expresses gratitude to the coach for the work done, and hopes that the experience and knowledge of [Gadzhiev] will yet serve to develop the club and football in Dagestan." Gadzhiev, who took over last year for his second spell at Anzhi, has taken the former obscure provincial side to seventh in the Russian Premier League, on 41 points with five games remaining. Anzhi have been as high as fourth this year but have shown erratic form overall, winning 11 of their 25 games, losing six and drawing nine. They are now nine points off Zenit St. Peterburg's lead, apparently too distant to challenge for the title. That may be too little return for Anzhi's billionaire owner, Sulieman Kerimov, who bought the club in January and has spent tens of millions of euros on players like Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto'o. Thursday's statement said assistant coach Andrei Gordeev and Roberto Carlos, the team captain, would act as caretaker managers for the interim. Their next game is at home to an in-form Lokomotiv Moscow side on Sunday. Russian media are rife with speculation on the identity of the new coach, with various big names being bandied around by the tabloids. Gadzhiev's dismissal is the latest in a flurry of appointments and firings in the league. Cross-Caucasus rivals Terek Grozny named Stanislav Cherchesov, the former Spartak Moscow goalkeeper and coach, as their new manager earlier this week, while Amkar Perm on Wednesday announced the departure of coach Rashid Rakhimov over a string of poor results.