Qatar League side Al Rayyan have replaced Brazilian coach Marcus Paqueta with compatriot Paolo Autuori.

Autuori only left Al Rayyan six months ago to join Brazil's Gremio, but has made a swift return after signing a three-year contract.

"I have previously said that I will only go back to Al Rayyan and here I am," said the 53-year-old.

"I love the club, the fans and the administration and I didn't hesitate to return because Al Rayyan is my home.

"My mission is to get Al Rayyan to the top and achieve a lot.

"I want to thank coach Paqueta who is a good coach and he tried his best with team.

"I had a lot of offers from different clubs in the Gulf region. However, I preferred to come back to Al Rayyan and as I said previously before leaving to Brazil, I will never coach any other team except Al Rayyan."

After losing to league leaders Al Sadd last time out, seven-time champions Al Rayyan sit seventh in the table with two wins from seven games so far this season.

"There was a lot of speculation about who will be the new coach at Al Rayyan," said Al Rayyan president Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani.

"However, we decided to call back Autuori as we know him and he knows us as well as the atmosphere in the Qatari league."