Gus Poyet / Captured from his official website
The nine-time Korean football champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors announced Tuesday former Premier League tactician Gus Poyet will be their new head coach.
Poyet, the 57-year-old from Uruguay, most recently coached the Greece men's national team from 2022 to 2024. He was also interviewed for the Korean men's national team job earlier this year.
Previously, Poyet coached Sunderland in the Premier League from 2013 to 2015, after beginning his head coaching career with Brighton & Hove Albion in the second-tier English league. The well-traveled Poyet also went on to coach AEK Athens in Greece, Real Betis in Spain, Shanghai Shenhua in China, Girondins de Bordeaux in France and Universidad Catolica in Chile.
The former midfielder spent parts of his playing career in Spain and England, logging 187 matches combined for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
"The K League is a new challenge for me as head coach, and I hope to make it a successful one," Poyet said in a statement released by Jeonbuk. "In football, I believe communication and trust can take precedence over tactics and strategies. I will communicate with my players and earn trust from the fans, so that Jeonbuk can once again become the best team in the K League."
Poyet is taking over a club reeling from one of their worst seasons ever in the K League 1. Only three years after winning their league-record ninth title, Jeonbuk finished in 10th place among 12 clubs with 42 points, three points above last-place Incheon United. Jeonbuk fell into a promotion-relegation playoff for the first time and held off Seoul E-Land FC from the K League 2 by 4-2 in the aggregate score to avoid being relegated to the second division.
Jeonbuk's Romanian-born head coach Dan Petrescu stepped down in April, and former Premier League midfielder Kim Do-heon took over in May. But they had only seven wins, seven draws and 10 losses on Kim's watch, and decided to part ways with him on Dec. 16.
Jeonbuk said they were impressed with Poyet's career arcs, both as a player and a coach, noting that he had to overcome cultural and language barriers in different countries to achieve success in both roles.
"He experienced ups and downs as a coach in the Premier League, which is the world's greatest competition," Jeonbuk said. "And we felt his experience and know-how will help fuel our efforts to bounce back. We considered his ability to communicate with players to be his greatest strength, something that will help him manage high-quality players on our club."
Supporters of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors watch the game during the K Leaugue 1 2024 in Jeonju, Dec. 8. Yonhap
Jeonbuk said Poyet will have his trusted lieutenants in the backroom staff, with Mauricio Taricco, who has been working with Poyet since 2009, serving as the top assistant at Jeonbuk.
Additionally, Jeonbuk added former striker Jung Jo-gook to their coaching staff to act as the bridge between the Poyet-led contingent and the players.
Jeonbuk said Poyet is scheduled to arrive in Korea this weekend. They are scheduled to leave for Thailand to set up their winter training camp on Jan. 2. (Yonhap)