Elche appoints Almiron after Pacheta's shock exit
Elche has appointed Jorge Almiron as head coach for its return to LaLiga following the surprising exit of Pacheta, the man responsible for its promotion.
The club confirmed Pacheta's departure on Wednesday in a significant blow to supporters, who had urged Elche to extend the popular coach's contract.
Pacheta took charge in February 2018 when it was in the third tier of Spanish football.
In 2019-2020 he masterminded Elche's promotion via the play-offs despite having the fifth-smallest budget in the division, as it first saw off Real Zaragoza 1-0 on aggregate, before then beating Girona by the same scoreline with a dramatic winner in the final's second leg on Monday (AEST).
It secured Elche's return to the top flight for the first time since their historic demotion from LaLiga for financial difficulties in 2015.
View this post on Instagram 🤯WHAT A FINISH! @elchecfoficial struck DEEP in stoppage time to beat @gironafc to the final spot in @laliga next season. HIGHLIGHTS + REACTION via our story . . . #laliga #futbol #football #soccer #girona #elche #elchecf #gironafc #spain #europe A post shared by beIN SPORTS Australia (@beinsports_aus) on Aug 23, 2020 at 4:41pm PDT
Almiron, 49, arrives having most recently worked at Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia last year, though most of his career has been spent in Argentina and Mexico, with the likes of San Lorenzo, Lanus, Independiente, Xolos de Tijuana and Defensa y Justicia, among others.
