Gustavo Poyet named as new Shanghai Shenhua coach
Former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder was sacked earlier in November as manager of Spanish club Real Betis
Shanghai Shenhua named former Uruguay international Gustavo Poyet as their new soccer coach on Tuesday, after cutting ties with his Spanish predecessor, Gregorio Manzano, despite finishing fourth in the Chinese Super League.
Poyet, 49, was himself sacked earlier in November by struggling Spanish outfit Real Betis.
Shenhua said the one-time Real Zaragoza, Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder had arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday and would begin training the team later this week.
Shenhua’s performance last season earned them a berth in the AFC Champions League but the club terminated Manzano’s contract earlier in November, citing unspecified “considerations about the team’s future strategic development and in order to achieve its objectives for the new season”.
A club announcement said it expects Poyet to “further improve on the team’s tactics and put in an outstanding performance in both Asian and domestic matches in the new season”.
