Villarreal President Fernando Roig has confirmed that Quique Setien will continue on as manager next season, despite much speculation over his position since his arrival.
The Yellow Submarine will finish fifth this year, and with one game to go lie five points from Real Sociedad. In the Conference League they were put out by Anderlecht in the first knockout round, and in the Copa del Rey Real Madrid beat them in the Round of 16.
There have been signs of improvement in La Liga this season though, with Setien bettering Unai Emery’s points total of 58 already. Roig told Diario AS that they were looking forward to next season.
“Yes, yes, exactly, we have a contract with the coach and he will continue next year. There will be some restructuring, but this is not the time to talk about it. Next year we face it with great enthusiasm in the Europa League and LaLiga, with our stadium completely finished.”
Setien has a contract until 2024, and will be given a full season to implement his methods next year. On the whole, Roig was pleased with the progress this season.
“In our centenary season we have managed to be able to play from December 31st in the new stadium, starting the season at the Levante’s ground.”
“We can describe the season as notably high [marks], in which a lot has happened but we have achieved our goals. The first team is in Europe, the B team is in the Second Division and the Women’s team has achieved survival. We can say that the objectives have been met.”
The confirmation of Setien means there will be one less suitor for Andoni Iraola, who was strongly linked with a role at La Ceramica next season.
It also gives Setien a chance to work with the players from the start of the season, having come into the job at a hectic period in the calendar. Arriving six games before the World Cup break, two victories over Real Madrid stand out as some of the most impressive performances for Setien, who has also gotten the best out of Nico Jackson in the final stages of the season, if still remaining somewhat inconsistent.
