Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has been appointed the new head coach of Slovan Bratislava this weekend
Midfielder Yaya Toure spent eight years playing for Manchester City(Image: Yasser Bakhsh – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Yaya Toure has admitted that watching his new club Slovan Bratislava recently play Manchester City in the Champions League convinced him of their credentials. The former Ivory Coast international midfielder signed a three-year contract at the Slovakian giants this weekend and, in doing so, takes on his first head coach role.
Before moving to Bratislava, Toure gained coaching experience across Europe. This included assistant manager stints at Olimpik Donetsk, Akhmat Grozny, Standard Liege and, most recently, the Saudi Arabia national team, where he worked alongside former City head coach Roberto Mancini. Toure also had a brief stint working at Tottenham Hotspur’s academy.
Upon his confirmation as Slovan’s new head coach, Toure noted how watching his new club playing against City in 2024, a game that the Blues won 4-0, showed their stature. “As an assistant, I had the opportunity to work with Roberto Mancini, for example, but I’ve longed for a long time to be able to work on my own project as a head coach,” he explained.
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“I appreciate that this opportunity is coming at a top club, which I recently watched in a Champions League match against Manchester City. I really can’t wait for Monday; I’m excited about what lies ahead.” Despite not being at the same level as some of his previous clubs, Toure is happy with his new surroundings.
“I was very pleasantly surprised by the club’s facilities, which are truly top-notch,” Toure added. “With Slovan, I want to play dominant soccer, win games, and control matches so that we can delight our fans.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the players personally. I’ve already tried to study the team in as much detail as possible, but the most important thing will still be to see how the players react during training.”
Slovan’s previous manager, Vladimir Weiss, led Slovan to the Slovak Super Liga this campaign and, in doing so, hands Toure an opportunity to potentially reunite with the Blues next season. Unlike City, Slovan must navigate the Champions League qualifying rounds before making it to the league phase.
They will enter the Champions League at the second qualifying round, the draw for which is on June 17. Slovan will then need to win that two-legged tie as well as advance through the third and fourth qualifying rounds before reaching the league phase.
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