Valencia Set to Appoint Javier Aguirre as New Coach
Valencia are edging towards handing the reins to Javier Aguirre, with the veteran Mexican coach now the firm frontrunner to replace Carlos Corberan.
Sporting director Braulio Vázquez has spent the last few days locked in low-key talks with Aguirre’s camp, working quietly in the background while the club steadies itself after Corberan’s exit. According to MARCA, the negotiations reached a decisive moment on Friday, when both sides held what has been described as a pivotal conversation aimed at tying up the final details of an agreement.
Those close to other managers sounded out by Vázquez have already started to admit what the market now senses: Aguirre is out in front and closing on the job.
Aguirre the chosen firefighter
Inside the club, there is little doubt about the profile they want. At 67, Aguirre is seen as the ideal figure to jolt a shaken squad back to life – a coach with a hard edge, deep roots in Spanish football, and a long track record of walking into difficult dressing rooms and imposing order.
If the deal is completed, Valencia would become the seventh La Liga side of his career. His CV in Spain is extensive: Osasuna, Atletico Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Espanyol, Leganes, and Mallorca have all felt his touch on the touchline. Each stop has reinforced his reputation as a survival specialist and a manager who relishes pressure.
He is currently a free agent, having finished his latest spell in charge of Mexico after the 2026 World Cup. That status removes one of the usual obstacles in mid-season appointments: there is no club to negotiate with, only the coach and his demands.
Contract built around survival
Money is not expected to be the sticking point. Both sides know the clock is ticking on the season, and neither wants a drawn-out saga.
Aguirre is pushing for a deal that runs until the end of the current campaign, with an option to extend into next season. That extra year would not be automatic. It hinges on clearly defined objectives, with one target towering above the rest: keeping Valencia in La Liga.
The message is blunt. Keep the club up, and the project continues. Fall short, and both parties walk away.
Valverde says no, interim steps in
Valencia are in no hurry to make a formal announcement, even as talks with Aguirre accelerate. The board already took a swing at their first choice, Ernesto Valverde, only to see him turn down the offer in favour of prolonging his sabbatical.
With no permanent coach in place yet, interim boss Oscar Sanchez will lead the team from the dugout for this weekend’s trip to Real Sociedad. His role is clear: hold the line, buy time, and keep the season from drifting while the club finalises its next move.
The calendar offers Valencia a rare advantage. A three-week international break looms, and the hierarchy at Mestalla intend to use that window as a reset. The plan is straightforward: bring in the new manager, hand him the keys to Paterna, and let him run a mini pre-season to drill his ideas into a squad that badly needs structure.
If, as expected, that manager is Javier Aguirre, Valencia’s survival fight will soon belong to one of Spanish football’s most seasoned firefighters.
