Sanchez Flores is Shenhua coach

Ti Gong

Shanghai Greenland Shenhua named Enrique “Quique” Sanchez Flores as its new head coach Tuesday, with the Spaniard arriving in Shanghai on Friday to start working for the new Chinese Super League season.

The announcement was made through the club’s official Weibo account yesterday evening. The former Watford and Espanyol manager will take over from local head coach Wu Jingui, whose contract with the club expires at the end of the month.

According to the club, after Sanchez Flores arrives in Shanghai on Friday, a press conference will be held at the club’s training base in Pudong on Saturday. The 53-year-old will bring with him a five-member coaching team — two assistant coaches, one goalkeeper coach, one stamina coach and a technique analyst.

Sanchez Flores made a three-day visit to Shenhua two weeks ago, during which he discussed details of a two-year contract with the club. He also visited the club’s training base, its home Hongkou Football Stadium and Shanghai’s landmark Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

The Spaniard was a defender before becoming a coach, honing his skills at Spanish clubs, including Getafe, Valencia and Atletico Madrid. He then coached al-Ahli and al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates before heading to the English Premier League to take over Watford. He returned to Spain to take charge of Espanyol in 2016, but was fired in April this year.

According to Shenhua, Sanchez Flores has rich youth coaching experience which is exactly what the club wants since it has been emphasizing the use of its young players in the first team.

Also, the new coach is known for his tactics that favor two wingers, which Shenhua thinks suits its players just fine.

Meanwhile, Wu will stay on at the club as a chief supervisor. Wu took over from Uruguayan manager Gus Poyet last September. He has been nicknamed Shenhua’s “firefighter manager” who always leads the team during the transition when the club changes its head coach.

Shenhua finished seventh in the 2018 CSL, 30 points adrift of city rival Shanghai SIPG, which won the championship for its first league title. Shenhua won the 2017 Chinese FA Cup title under Wu.

The team will depart for Spain’s Marbella on January 3 for a one-month winter training. The 2019 CSL kicks off on March 1.

Meanwhile, Brazil forward Hulk has expressed a desire to return to his homeland after his contract with Shanghai SIPG expires, Xinhua reported.

The 32-year-old, who is tied to the CSL champion until June 2020, said he has a lifelong goal of representing reigning Brazilian champion Palmeiras, whom he supported as a child.

“There is always speculation linking me with Palmeiras because it’s the team that I have always supported,” Hulk told Globo Esporte. “It’s my wish, I want to go back and play in Brazil, but at the moment it’s difficult for that to happen. I have more than two years left on my contract and I’m happy in China.”

Hulk has scored 51 goals in 86 appearances for SIPG since joining the club from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2016.

His comments coincide with reports that Guangzhou Evergrande’s Brazil playmaker Ricardo Goulart could join Palmeiras in 2019 on a season-long loan deal.