Former West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan was brought to The Hawthorns in the first place by Ron Gourlay
West Bromwich Albion Chief Executive Officer Ron Gourlay in the stands(Image: PA)
Carlos Corberan has completed a West Bromwich Albion reunion at Spanish outfit Valencia, after the club announced on Thursday evening that Ron Gourlay would be joining to take up the role as the chief executive.
Gourlay was at the helm at Albion when the club appointed Corberan in October 2022, following the sacking of Steve Bruce and a disastrous beginning to their Championship campaign.
Corberan led the club to the cusp of the play-offs and then into the top six the season following.
The Spaniard left the club in the promotion race again this past season, when he returned to his home country and city to take up the Valencia job on Christmas Day.
Valencia at the time were very much in a relegation battle but under Corberan they improved significantly in the second half of the season and progressed comfortably into mid-table.
Now, Corberan will once again work with Gourlay, who himself departed The Hawthorns exactly two years ago having fronted at board level in the absence of then controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai and has since worked in the Saudi Pro League at Al-Ahli, who he left in April.
He said: “It’s a privilege to join Valencia CF at such a pivotal time. This club has passion, heritage, and a global fanbase that deserves success.
“I’m thrilled to reunite with Carlos again. With [president] Kiat’s leadership at the helm, we have a shared ambition to restore Valencia to where it belongs – competing for top honours, with a squad that reflects the club’s identity and future.”
Kiat Lim added: “We are building Valencia CF for the future, with a foundation that is sustainable, ambitious, and worthy of our proud history.
“In Ron Gourlay, we have a senior and very experienced Sporting CEO who understands the complexities of modern football and the demands of a top-tier club to lead the project.”
Gourlay was previously at Reading before being appointed CEO of Albion in place of Xu Ke in February 2022 following a consultancy period. He has also worked before at both Manchester United and Chelsea.