Madrid, May 25 (IANS) Spanish football club Malaga on Wednesday confirmed the departure of the first team coach Javi Gracia, who is expected to join Russian outfit Ruben.
Gracia leaves Malaga after two successful seasons in which he has kept the club in the top half of the table despite the loss of key players such as Sami Castellejo, Juanmi and Samu Garcia, reports Xinhua.
The coach will reportedly join Kazan, who have offered him a four-year contract which pays around six times what he is currently earning in Spain. He is thought to have received the offer from Ruben Kazan several weeks ago and had been weighing the options before making a decision.
Gracia had a contract with Malaga until the end of 2019 with a buyout clause of 1.2 million euros (around $1.4 million).
The club is now looking for a replacement with former Sevilla, Tottenham and Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos thought to be the favourite.
Quique Sanchez Flores, who was surprisingly sacked by English club Watford at the end of the season, is also thought to be interested in the club along with Rayo Vallecano's Paco Jemez.
