Luis Zubeldía is the new coach of D. Alaves

After an impressive return to LaLiga Santander last season, that ended with a ninth-placed finish in the standings and a Copa del Rey final appearance last month, coach Mauricio Pellegrino decided to step down. In his place, Alaves have opted for another Argentine with Luis Zubeldia appointed to the post for the 2017-18 campaign.

.@Alaves have appointed Luis Zubeldia as their new coach for next season.#LaLigaSantander https://t.co/LhiHCpHqxn

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) June 17, 2017

The 36-year-old newcomer has a tough task to build on the successes of last season as he takes up his first coaching job in Europe. He arrives after a spell in charge of Colombia’s Independiente de Medellín and has previous experience working with teams in Argentina, Mexico and Ecuador. The club said the appointment was dependent on final approval from UEFA, who need to check out the credentials of all non-European coaches.