Valencia’s search for a new coach has reached beyond the usual Spanish shortlist, with Javier Aguirre viewed as a serious candidate to steady a side shaken by a difficult start to the LaLiga season. The Mexican has not been appointed, but his record in survival fights has placed him firmly in the conversation around Mestalla.
Javier Aguirre emerges as Valencia consider a short-term rescue
SEO Title: Javier Aguirre considered as Valencia seek new coach
SEO Description: Valencia are weighing Javier Aguirre as they look for a coach capable of lifting the club after a troubled start to the LaLiga campaign.
Valencia dismissed the manager who began the campaign and are now assessing replacements. Aguirre, 67, is understood to be open to taking the job, potentially on an initial six-month arrangement before the club decides whether to continue with him or begin another project.
Quick facts
- Valencia are looking for a replacement after changing coach early in the LaLiga season.
- Javier Aguirre is among the names under consideration and would be willing to join the club.
- Aguirre last worked in Spain with Mallorca between 2022 and 2024.
- A Valencia appointment would make the club his seventh in Spanish football.
- The Mexican’s experience in avoiding relegation is regarded as a major strength.
Nacho Sanchis, a Spanish radio presenter, believes Aguirre offers precisely the authority Valencia need in the immediate term. He highlighted the coach’s long career, which includes World Cups, LaLiga posts and work abroad, arguing that his personality could give the dressing room a leader the players respect.
Sanchis also pointed to Aguirre’s recent spell at Mallorca, where he delivered strong results and took the island club to the 2024 Copa del Rey final. In his view, Aguirre would accept the conditions Valencia put forward and could make a substantial contribution during a demanding six-month period.
There is, however, a wider question in the city: whether Valencia want a specialist for the present emergency or a coach for the years ahead. Germán Muñoz, formerly associated with Spanish television football coverage, said the club are effectively conducting a broad audition for the position.
Muñoz described Aguirre as an attractive option to revive the current squad, while suggesting Valencia may favour someone able to shape a longer rebuild. The club’s ambition is not only to remain up this season but eventually to return to European competition and establish a new era at Nou Mestalla.
A long Spanish record
Aguirre’s Spanish journey began at Osasuna in 2002. He led the Pamplona club to the 2005 Copa del Rey final, then moved to Atlético Madrid, where he helped return the capital side to European football before departing to take Mexico to the 2010 World Cup.
He later returned for spells with Real Zaragoza and Espanyol, leaving the latter in 2014. His coaching path also took him to the Japan and Egypt national teams, as well as Al-Wahda, before another Spanish return with Leganés in 2019.
After a spell with Rayados, Aguirre was appointed by Mallorca in 2022 and remained there for more than two years. He then returned to Mexico for a third tenure in charge of the national team, a period running from 2024 until the end of the 2026 World Cup and featuring Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League victories.
His reputation in Spain has often been built in difficult circumstances. Aguirre kept Zaragoza in the top flight in 2010-11, helped Espanyol escape danger after inheriting the division’s bottom club, and again preserved Mallorca’s LaLiga status before their cup-final run.
For Valencia, that background makes him a credible answer to the immediate pressure. Whether it also fits the club’s longer route toward Nou Mestalla remains the central decision in the search.
