Alaves announce replacement as Chacho Coudet leaves to take over River Plate

Mar 3, 2026 - 20:00

Deportivo Alaves have reached an agreement for Eduardo Coudet to leave the club, as he is expected to take over River Plate in Argentina. Coudet has been in charge of Alaves for the past 18 months, guiding them to safety in his first season there, and is on course to do so this season too.

Chacho Coudet declared to the media last Thursday that he swore on his children’s lives that he had not spoken to anyone from River Plate, amid heavy speculation that he would be the next manager at El Monumental. Yet on Tuesday night, Alaves thanked Coudet for his work during his 55 games in charge, announcing his exit.

River Plate and Alaves reach deal for Coudet

According to Cadena Cope, a deal was reached between River and Alaves for Coudet’s services. El Millionario were looking for a new manager after Marcelo Gallardo announced his departure last week, and settled on Coudet. It is not yet clear how much the deal will be worth, as Coudet did not have a release clause in his deal, but Los Babazorros were reportedly demanding €2m, while River began their offer at €800k. Coudet is expected to be appointed the new River manager on Wednesday.

Quique Sanchez Flores replaces Coudet

Alaves have moved swiftly to replace Coudet, and minutes after his exit was made public, announced that Quique Sanchez Flores had been appointed on a 2.5-year deal until 2028. The experienced manager has plenty of experience fighting fires at Valencia, Getafe, Espanyol and Sevilla over the duration of his career, and has been in charge of over 350 games in La Liga. On top of that, he also has experience at Benfica, Watford and Atletico Madrid.

He will no doubt be seen as a safe pair of hands, with Alaves desperate to maintain their La Liga status in the final 12 games of the season. Sanchez Flores will be in the dugout for Alaves’ clash with Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday, with Alaves currently in 16th, three points ahead of RCD Mallorca in 18th.

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