Albert Riera, a former Liverpool winger, leaves a club in first place, but his promising managerial career is expected to continue with a new position
Early in his career as a manager, Riera gained notoriety in his native Slovenia, first with Olimpija Ljubljana and then with NK Celje.
In his lone season at the club, the 41-year-old led Olimpija to a league and cup double before leaving under financial duress and rumors of board involvement.
With 26 points from 11 games, Celje is currently in first place in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, making his move there a spectacular success.
They defeated a Vitoria de Guimaraes team that was placed 252 places higher than them in UEFA’s rankings to go to the playoff round of qualifications for the Europa Conference League, where they were defeated by Robbie Keane’s Maccabi Tel Aviv.
It might cast doubt on Riera’s impending move to Bordeaux; the Spaniard is set to sign with the Ligue 2 team this week.
After firing David Guion at the end of last week, the French team reportedly made his hire a “priority” on Monday, according to L’Equipe.
According to reports, Riera has already reached agreements on a one and a half year contract to take over, as well as contracts for two of his employees in Celje.
Riera spent two years with Bordeaux at the beginning of his playing career, so if he does go as anticipated, it will seem somewhat like a homecoming.
The winger began his career with RCD Mallorca before moving to Bordeaux in 2003. After returning to Spain with Espanyol, he had a loan season at Manchester City before joining Liverpool in 2008.
After a public argument, Rafa Benitez ultimately decided to freeze him out.
It is evident that Riera, like he did as a player, is not reluctant to changing teams when he begins his management career.
Bordeaux, which finished third the previous season, is currently 13th in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, having won just three of their first ten games.
That occurred in highly contentious circumstances since a supporter attacked Rodez AF player Lucas Buades during their match on the final day, which was ruled a loss.
They still have financial issues even if they were promoted to Ligue 2 after accepting a debt relief plan. They were originally slated to play in the third division last season but were demoted due to financial issues.
