Adelaide United have confirmed the shock departure of head coach Josep Gombau, with current technical director and former Barcelona legend Guillermo Amor replacing the Spaniard as boss of the Reds.
Gombau still had two years remaining on his existing deal, after signing a contract extension in April 2014, which would have seen him stay in the City of Churches until the end of the 2016/17 A-League season.
Gombau, who won the inaugural FFA Cup last December, reportedly decided to leave the club due to family reasons, before assuming a role as a development coach in New York.
The 39-year-old joined the South Australia outfit at the beginning of the 2013/14 campaign and led his side to consecutive finals appearances, as he continued implementing his ‘Tiki-taka’ philosophy at United.
Gombau was very much adored by the Adelaide fans, which was largely attributed to his obvious passion for the game and the Reds’ attractive style of football under his tutelage.
Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin expressed his sadness with the Spanish tactician’s decision to leave Coopers Stadium, and revealed who would succeed Gombau.
“It is with deep regret that Josep Gombau will no longer continue as head of the Adelaide United Football Club,” Griffin said.
“It is with great pleasure that we announce Guillermo Amor to be the new head coach of our club on August 1st.”
Amor held the position as the Reds technical director at the start of the last season and will now be at the helm for the next two years.
It is the 47-year-old’s first professional senior coaching role, after spending a number of years with the Barcelona academy as a developmental trainer.
Amor, who amassed over 300 appearances for the Blaugrana, admitted he is relishing the opportunity take over the reins from his fellow Spaniard.
“For me it’s a great opportunity and I promise you will get commitment, hard work and I’ll give 100%,” Amor said.
“I could not wish for a better team to coach. It’s difficult to find a better group of people.”
And the outgoing manager believes Amor is the right man to lead Adelaide forward.
“He [Amor] already knows the club and he knows how things work, but when I started I didn’t,” Gombau said.
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Meanwhile, according to Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser, United’s pursuit for a striker could be over with speculation intensifying the Reds are close to sealing a move for ex-Melbourne Heart front-man Eli Babalj.
The 23-year-old burst on to the A-League scene in 2011 following his goal-scoring exploits, but has since struggled for game time after moving to the Netherlands.
Babalj netted 12 goals during his time with the now defunct Melbourne Heart.
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