Sergi signs on at Almeria
Sergi Barjuan has been named as the new Almeria coach until the end of the season, with his first match in charge set to come against former club Barcelona on Wednesday. The 43-year-old former Spain international, who spent well over a decade at local club Barcelona before finishing his playing career at Atletico Madrid, takes over the reins at Almeria from Juan Ignacio Martinez.
Martinez was sacked on Sunday in the wake of Almeria's 4-1 home defeat to Levante the previous day, a result which left the team a point adrift of safety in the Spanish La Liga relegation zone. Almeria had placed reserve team coach Miguel Rivera in caretaker charge, but they have moved quickly to appoint Sergi for the remainder of the campaign.
Sergi, whose only previous senior coaching position was in charge of Recreativo Huelva, said at his presentation: "We've got the team to be much higher, we need to row in the same direction and work together, which is crucial to achieving safety."