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Ronald Koeman leaves PSV to take over at Valencia (PSV.nl)

1 nov 2007 - Source: PSV.nl

This newsitem has been supplied by PSV.nl


PSV have confirmed at a press conference at the Philips Stadion on Wednesday evening that head coach Ronald Koeman and assistant coach Tonny Bruins Slot have left the Dutch champions with immediate effect to take over at the Spanish top club Valencia CF.

'It's actually hard to explain,' said General Manager Jan Reker. 'We are very satisfied with each other, we have a good relationship and PSV are doing very well in the league. But then Valencia called us about Ronald Koeman. Our question was: 'Can't you wait until next year?' Ronald always said that his dream was to be coach of a top club in Spain. We respect that now. This is a dream club for him and they didn't want to wait. I was a coach myself and when you have a dream, you must take it when it comes. It's a pity for PSV - but a very great challenge for Ronald. Valencia are of course a very big club.' Koeman has agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract which will keep him at Valencia until June 2010.
Although PSV face tough encounters away against Heerenveen and at home against AZ Alkmaar as well as a crucial Champions League clash with Fenerbahçe in the next two weeks, they decided to release him with immediate effect.
Reker: 'He can only lose. Suppose we win all those games, we shouldn't have let him go, but if we lose them, he should have gone immediately. We argue that a contract is a contract, so we get good compensation. We solved that problem in co-operation with Valencia.'
Behind the scenes PSV have already been considering the future, because Koeman had hinted before he would probably not extend his contract that would expire next summer. 'We will look at things carefully, on the basis of our experience and the way we want to replace the staff. We are looking to the future with confidence. That's about all I will say at the moment.'
Valencia lie currently fourth in the Spanish league. They have been drawn against Chelsea, Rosenborg BK and Schalke 04 the Champions League Group B and are third with three points from three group stage games. Ronald Koeman and Tonny Bruins Slot joined PSV in the summer of 2006, after they had had spells with Benfica and Ajax. When Koeman had a great impact at Barcelona as a player, Bruins Slot was assistant coach in Catalonia. Koeman himself was assistant coach in Barcelona, before he took sole command at Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica and PSV. At Valencia, Koeman will work with star players the likes of David Villa and Fernando Morientes. Valencia is the third town in Spain. Their current base Estadio Mestalla holds 53, 000 with no room for expansion; Valencia will move to a brand new stadium, the Nou Mestalla, in 2009.