Sevilla confirm Garcia Toral, Levante lose Garcia

The managerial shuffle in Spain continued on Tuesday as Marcelino Garcia Toral was appointed coach of Sevilla and Luis Garcia left Levante.

Garcia Toral walked away from Racing Santander after a spat with owner Ahsan Ali Syed at the end of last season, a move that has yet to be confirmed by his former club.

Nevertheless, Sevilla have taken the opportunity to spruik their new manager in a press conference on Tuesday, welcoming the 45-year-old as the successor to Gregorio Manzano.

“I believe we have a coach for the long term. It’s the first time I have drawn up a contract like Marcelino’s,” club president Jose Maria del Nido said.

“He is signing for one season with an option for two more depending on results.”

Manzano was let go by the club at the conclusion of the last campaign, which saw Sevilla finish fifth on the table and miss out on a Champions League berth by four points.

Meanwhile, Luis Garcia has rescinded his contract after three seasons with Levante, freeing him up for a rumoured move to Getafe.

Garcia led Levante back to the top-flight for the first time in three years in 2009/10, and earned plaudits for keeping the club aloft in the most recent campaign.

Now, the 38-year-old has reportedly agreed to pay Levante one million euro so he can defect to Getafe, who sacked Michel after narrowly avoiding relegation.

“Luis Garcia, coach of Levante the past three seasons, has today cut his ties with our club,” said a statement on Levante’s website.

Getafe President Angel Torres told Spanish media: “We are going to offer him (Garcia) a three-year contract. He is a young coach with character and he done things very well at Levante.”