Cuadrat named Bengaluru FC's head coach

Spaniard Carles Cuadrat was appointed as the head coach of Bengaluru FC, the club announced on Thursday.

Cuadrat, who will replace Alberto Roca at the helm, has signed a one-year deal with the club. He was the assistant coach to Roca for the past two seasons and had a major role in the club's journey in two AFC Cups, Federation Cup, I-League and ISL competitions.

The Spaniard's second season with the Blues had to be cut short after a surgery on his knee forced him to resign and return to Spain in December.

The 49-year-old said he was delighted to come back in a new role at the club. “I am very happy to come back to the club, to the fantastic people who work for it and to the fans who I have always had a special place for, in my heart. I am also grateful to the management for having such faith in me.

"What Albert achieved at the club is special and it won’t be easy to replicate. But I will be giving this opportunity everything I have, and I believe with the right amount of hard work and passion, we can keep achieving success at BFC,” Cuadrat said.

“We are thrilled at announcing Carles as our new head coach. Alongside Albert, he played a massive part in changing the way we played football. Given the long association the two have shared, it’s reassuring to know that our philosophy remains intact. Carles has been a popular figure in the dressing room and with the fans and we couldn’t have asked for a better choice as we make an important transition,” said club CEO, Parth Jindal.

An academy graduate at FC Barcelona, Cuadrat had coaching stints with the age-group teams at the Catalan giants before travelling to Galatasaray with Roca as part of Frank Rijkaard’s staff.

He then became assistant to Roca at Saudi Arabia and El Salvador national teams before joining Bengaluru FC at the start of the 2016-17 season.