Former Wales and Sunderland manager Chris Coleman is the new manager of Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune, according to the club’s Weibo page. Coleman replaces Manuel Pellegrini as the club’s manager after the Chilean left to take charge at West Ham last month.
The Welshman led his country to the Euro 2016 semi-finals where they were defeated by Portugal. Coleman oversaw a famous quarter-final victory against a talented Belgium side but was unable to get beyond a Portugal team captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, who went on to defeat hosts France in the final. Coleman left his role as national team manager after failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, as he was unable to secure even a play-off spot for the country, losing to the Republic of Ireland in their final group game to seal their fate.
Following his departure from Wales he spent six months in charge of Sunderland but could not save the club from consecutive relegations, winning just five of his 29 league games as manager of the Championship club as they finished bottom of the table. Having had their place in League One confirmed, Coleman left the Stadium of Light in April, once the club were taken over by new owners, in the form of a consortium led by Stewart Donald.
Prior to his work with Wales, Coleman had managerial experience during spells in charge of Fulham and Coventry City. It will not be his first spell working abroad, though, having managed Real Sociedad in Spain and AEL in Cyrpus. Coleman only lasted seven months in San Sebastián, leaving the club in fifth position in the second tier. His spell in Cyprus was another short one, as he did not complete a season, resigning in January 2012 due to financial issues at the club.
Hebei China Fortune boast some familiar names on their books, including World Cup-bound Javier Mascherano. Former Arsenal forward Gervinho also plays for the club, alongside Ezequiel Lavezzi. They currently sit eighth out of 16 teams in the domestic league after 11 games of the season, having won just four matches during the campaign.
