Chris Coleman signs up to replace Manuel Pellegrini at Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune
Former Wales manager becomes first notable British boss but follows well-worn path from English Premier League
The Chilean left for West Ham United last month and to much surprise Coleman, who turned 48 on Sunday, has been named as his replacement on the club’s official Sina Weibo.
Twitter users responded to the news with a mixture of speculation about his wages, disbelief at his career path and cookie-based puns – Coleman has been known as “Cookie” since his playing days.
He spent five years in charge of the national side, including guiding Wales to the last four of Euro 2016, the country’s first major tournament since 1958.
Hebei sit eighth in the CSL table but Coleman will have plenty of time with his new players as the league does not resume until after the World Cup in Russia on June 17.
Coleman will manage two former Premier League footballers, Javier Mascherano and Gervinho, as well as former Argentina international Ezequiel Lavezzi.
While former Premier League players and managers are common in China it is very rare for them to be British. Coleman bucks that trend.
Elsewhere former Chelsea player Dan Petrescu has returned for another coaching role in China after arriving at Guizhou Hengfeng. He was previously manager at Jiangsu Sainty where he won the CFA Cup.
Less expected was the arrival of former Arsenal star Jose Antonio Reyes in Xinjiang where he has signed for China League One side Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard.
The 34-year-old former Spain international will start his career at the second tier’s bottom side once the league resumes after the World Cup.
