Alaves appoint former Sevilla boss Machin as new head coach

Machin, 45, had been named head coach of Chinese Super League side Qingdao Huanghai in July but was unable to travel to China to take up the job after one of his relatives tested positive for COVID-19.

Deportivo Alaves have appointed former Sevilla and Espanyol manager Pablo Machin as their new head coach to replace Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz, the La Liga club announced on Wednesday. Muniz had taken charge of Alaves at the back end of the 2019-20 season and guided them to a 16th-place finish despite managing just one win in four games.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Europa League - Group H - Ferencvaros v Espanyol - Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary - November 28, 2019 Espanyol coach Pablo Machin REUTERS/Tamas Kaszas/File Photo (REUTERS)

Machin, 45, had been named head coach of Chinese Super League side Qingdao Huanghai in July but was unable to travel to China to take up the job after one of his relatives tested positive for COVID-19.

The Spaniard cut his managerial teeth with second division side Numancia before joining Girona in 2014 and overseeing their promotion to La Liga three years later.

His last managerial stint was at Espanyol, where he was sacked last December with the team at the bottom of the La Liga standings.