Espanyol appoint Diego Martinez as new coach

Madrid, May 31 Spanish football club Espanyol on Tuesday have appointed Diego Martinez as their new coach.

The 41-year-old Martinez has signed a two-year contract at the club. The former Granada coach replaced Victor Moreno, who was sacked by the Barcelona-based outfit with two games remaining of the recently completed season.

Martinez has previously coached Sevilla's B-team, leading them to the Spanish second division. His last job was with Granada, who he took to promotion to La Liga and qualified for the Europa League. Granada eventually reached the quarterfinals of that competition before being eliminated by Manchester United, reports Xinhua.

He left Granada at the end of the 2020-21 season, opting not to renew his contract when it expired, and spent last season visiting various clubs in Europe in order to study their working methods.

Espanyol's CEO Ye Mao had hinted agreement between the club and Martinez was close on Sunday when he told a meeting of supporters "we hope to announce it in the coming days."

"He is the kind of coach who could give a lot of things to the club," commented Ye.