The Management of Spanish football club, Sevilla, has appointed Athletic Bilbao’s former manager, José Mendilibar, as the club’s first-team coach, hours after the sack of Jorge Sampaoli over poor performance which has left the team just a place off the relegation zone.
Mendilibar’s contract with the club would run for three months after which the management would determine whether to extend it or find another manager for the club’s first team.
The appointment and sack of both managers were confirmed through a statement released by the club on Tuesday, following the defeat at Getafe, which leaves the side just above the relegation zone.
According to the statement, the club has decided to part ways with the Argentine coach ahead of the international break. Sevilla FC would like to thank Jorge Sampaoli for his dedication and commitment to the club and wish him the best of luck in his future.”
The former Chile and Argentina coach joined Sevilla in October, but the club has failed to shake off its disappointing mid-table form. Sampaoli’s second stint at the club saw him oversee 13 wins, six draws, and 12 defeats in 31 matches.
Sevilla sits 13th in La Liga on 28 points, two off Getafe, to whom they lost 2-0 on Sunday, and Almeria, who currently occupy two of the three relegation spots.
Sevilla will face Manchester United in next month’s quarter-finals of the Europa League, a competition the club has won a record six times.
The new manager, Mendilibar, from Zaldibar in the Province of Vizcaya, began coaching at Athletic Club’s academy and has gone on to manage in 448 top-flight matches, with almost half coming in a six-season spell at SD Eibar.
He joined third-tier side UD Lanzarote in 2002, and very nearly secured promotion in the 2003/04 season after winning their group. He then moved up to the Second Division for his first spell at SD Eibar. He very nearly secured their first-ever promotion to the top flight, missing out by one place and three points.
Mendilibar then joined fellow Basque side Athletic Club ahead of the 2005/06 season, but he went on to take charge of just thirteen matches. A move to second-tier Real Valladolid came the following season, and he secured promotion with eight games to spare. He would stay with the Pucelanos until February 2010.
Just over a year later, CA Osasuna came calling, and he went on to manage 102 top-flight matches before his spell in charge came to a close in September 2013. He then had a brief spell in charge of Levante UD.
Mendilibar’s most successful stint as manager was his second spell at SD Eibar. Joining ahead of the 2015/16 season, he kept the team in LaLiga for six straight seasons, before eventually suffering relegation in the 2020/21 season. His last job was at Deportivo Alavés last season, managing the team for twelve matches in the middle of the season.
In his 448 top-flight matches, he has a record of 128 wins, 125 draws, and 195 defeats.
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