Adams given seven games to save Granada’s season
Former England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams has been appointed Granada coach until the end of the season.
Adams replaces Lucas Alcaraz, who was in his third spell in charge of Granada, but was sacked in the wake of the 3-1 defeat at home by Valencia on Sunday, which left them stuck in the bottom two of La Liga.
Adams, 50, is vice-president of DDMC – a company owned by Granada president Jiang Lizhang – and has been working with the Spanish side since November.
A club statement on Monday read: “After evaluating the situation in which the team is and the sensations the team had been showing after recent results, Granada has decided to end the time of Lucas Alcaraz and his coaching staff in charge of the first team.
“In his place, the club place all their confidence in Tony Adams, vice-president of DDMC, as head coach of Granada until the end of the season.”
Adams had been working as the sporting director of Chinese club Chongqing Dangdai Lifan, another side owned by Lizhang, before arriving in Granada five months ago following the end of the Super League season.
Adams had been tasked with overseeing all football-related matters at Granada and helping the club lay foundations for the future. But his immediate job is to try to save the Andalusian outfit from relegation after six successive seasons in La Liga – a run that came after 35 years out of the top flight.
Granada are seven points adrift of safety after picking up just one point from their past six matches, a run that ultimately cost Alcaraz his job after 26 games in charge.
The club have seven games left, beginning with Sunday’s visit of Celta Vigo and including matches against Real Madrid and Sevilla.
Adams has limited managerial experience with Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and Azerbaijani side Gabala – his most recent appointment ending six years ago – but he enjoyed a hugely successful playing career. The former centreback helped Arsenal win a host of honours, including four league titles, three FA Cups and the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, as well as earning 66 caps for England.