Spaniard Quique Sanchez Flores, the former manager at Arabian Gulf League clubs Al Ain and Al Ahli, has resurfaced after almost a year away from coaching with struggling La Liga side Getafe, the club has announced.
A former manager at Valencia and Atletico Madrid as well, Sanchez Flores was sacked by Al Ain in March of last year, his first season with the team, as the traditional power club in the UAE languished eighth in the table.
He experienced a measure of success in the Emirates in is time in Dubai with Al Ahli before the ill-fated move to Al Ain, winning the UAE League Cup in 2012 and the UAE President's Cup in 2013.
Sanchez Flores was in charge of Madrid-based Getafe when they first reached the top flight in 2004/05, before moving onto spells at Valencia, Benfica and Atletico, the latter of which he guided to glory in the 2010 Europa League.
The 49-year-old succeeds Romania’s Cosmin Contra who leaves the club in 14th place and just four points above the relegation zone.
“I’m happy, it’s been 10 years since I was here and I only wanted to go back to a place which made me happy,” Sanchez Flores said at his introduction. “Getafe is one of those places.
“I’ve only been a few hours back here and it’s like I’ve never been away.
“The priority at this moment of my life is to be happy coaching and I can achieve that here.”
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