Bilic named Beijing boss after West Brom sacking
SLAVEN Bilic was named coach of Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan yesterday, three weeks after he was sacked by Chinese- owned West Bromwich Albion.
The 52-year- old from Croatia has signed a contract until the end of 2022 and replaces Frenchman Bruno Genesio, Beijing said.
Bilic, who was an imperious central defender as a player, will be expected to have the club from the Chinese capital competing for the CSL title.
Under Genesio Beijing again fell short in a coronavirus-disrupted season which ended in November with Jiangsu Suning dethroning Fabio Cannavaro’s Guangzhou Evergrande as champion.
Announcing Bilic’s appointment on the Twitter-like Weibo, Beijing praised the former Croatia boss for his tactical nous and strong leadership.
The club also said it had decided not to renew the contract of Genesio, who guided the team to third in the CSL and the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League last season.
Beijing’s squad includes French-born Congolese striker Cedric Bakambu, Brazilian international midfielder Renato Augusto and London-born Chinese international Nico Yennaris.
Bilic, who also played for and managed West Ham United, was sacked by West Brom last month with the club one place off the bottom of the English Premier League.
Bilic, who was replaced by Sam Allardyce, had been at The Hawthorns since 2019 and led the Baggies to promotion out of the second-tier Championship.
Bilic has vast coaching experience across the world, having also managed Lokomotiv Moscow, Turkey’s Besiktas,
and al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia after a spell with the Croatian national team.
He began his coaching career with Hadjuk Split in 2001 after retiring as a player for the Croatian side a year earlier.
Bilic’s compatriot and former Royal Antwerp coach Ivan Leko was named the new head coach of former CSL champion Shanghai SIPG last week.
Bilic joins former Newcastle United, Liverpool and Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez in China. The Spaniard manages Dalian Pro.
The new CSL season starts in the spring but is likely to take place in a secure “bubble” to thwart virus infections.