Benitez Appointed Manager Of Chinese Club Dalian Yifang
Former Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has been
appointed manager of Chinese side Dalian Yifang, Bestchoicesports.com.ng
understands
The Spaniard left the Magpies on Sunday after his contract
expired, saying that the Premier League club “did not share his
vision”.
He replaces Choi Kang-hee, who resigned on Monday “for
personal reasons”.
“After a long path, we start a new
challenge. I´m happy to begin this new project with Dalian Yifang,” said
59-year-old Benitez.
Benitez, who has also managed Liverpool, Chelsea,
Valencia and Real Madrid, received a £12m offer to manage Dalian Yifang,
tweeted a message welcoming himself to the club.
He led Newcastle to a 13th place finish in the
Premier League last season.
“I wanted to stay, but I didn’t just want to
sign an extended contract, I wanted to be part of a project,” Benitez said
in a letter to fans on Monday.
“I’m very sad about that, but I do not regret
for one moment my decision to come to Tyneside and I’m very proud about what we
achieved together.”
The move to Dalian sees him reunited with Marek
Hamsik, who played under Benitez at Napoli between 2013 and 2015.
Belgium international Yannick Carrasco also plays
for the club.