THE Algerian Football Federation is in the hunt for a top notch national team coach ahead of the 2017 Afcon finals where they will play in the same group with Senegal, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

Former Belgium national team coach Marc Wilmots, who guided the Red Devils at the 2016 Euro Championships, has already turned down the North Africans.

Wilmots had been odds on favorite to take over the hot seat vacated by Serbian Milovan Rajevac but according to Algerian media, the Belgian turned down the offer on Monday morning through a text  message to FAF president Mohamed Raouraoua.

“The Belgian said he was attracted by ‘the professional project of the FAF,’ but does not wish to ‘plunge as fast in another national team ... maybe in 2-3 years,’” wrote popular Algerian publication La Gazzette.

Backed by a massive sponsorship from telecoms giant, Mobilis, who pour in several millions a year into their coffers, FAF are quoting the game’s biggest brains among them Lauren Blanc formerly with French giants, Paris Saint Germain.

But the Algerian media is not a big fan of Blanc as he never signed Algerian players during his tenure at PSG.

Algeria had one of the most impressive qualification records with 16 points out of a possible total of 18.

They won five of their six matches the only blemish being a 3 all draw against Ethiopia.

They have a lethal attacking force which saw them smashing in an incredible 25 goals in six matches – a return which puts their average at 4,16 goals per match.

They were the qualifiers’ best attacking team followed by DR Congo and Tunisia who are joint second with 16 goals each.

While the mention of Algeria will remind many locals of the Leicester City duo of Riyad Mahrez and Islam “The Dragon Slayer” Slimani the North Africans have another ace up the sleeve in Dynamo Zagreb striker El Arbi Soudani who top scored in the qualifiers with seven goals in four matches.

26-year-old midfielder Sofiane Feghouli of West Ham United is also one to watch.

But for all their attacking prowess, the Algerians are somewhat vulnerable at the back.

Their record of conceding five in six qualifying matches makes them only better than DR Congo (six) and Guinea Bissau (seven) among the 13 teams that topped their qualifying groups.

Their 30-year-old first choice goalie Rais M’Bolhi is struggling for game time and is yet to play a single match for his Turkish club Antalyaspor this season.