Valencia rip up former Championship manager’s contract as fallen European giants’ demise hits worrying new low

VALENCIA have sacked former Championship boss Carlos Corberán as the fallen Spanish giants’ nightmare continues to spiral. Corberán took both Huddersfield and West Brom to the play-offs in 2022 and 2024, and served as Marcelo Bielsa’s assistant at Leeds. Carlos Corberán has become the latest in a long line of Valencia managers to lose their job under the current ownership Credit: Getty Valencia is a club going through wholesale change, including in the midst of moving stadiums Credit: Getty The Spanish giants have also terminated the contract of football CEO Ron Gourlay and his team as they prepare to completely reshape their sporting structure. Corberán’s exit comes just a week after Valencia were humiliated 5-0 at home by Barcelona in front of furious supporters. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! But the final straw came on Friday night when they were beaten 1-0 away to Sevilla, leaving them bottom of LaLiga with just one point from the first five matches. The Spaniard left West Brom in the midst of a play-off charge to join Valencia mid relegation battle December 2024. He managed to keep them up in each of his first two seasons and had been tasked with trying to build a more stable future at the Mestalla. But Valencia have now decided to bring his reign to an end after 72 official games. In an official statement via the club website, Valencia said Corberán had helped “turn this situation around” during a difficult period and thanked him for his “professionalism, passion, and the utmost commitment.” His first-team coaching staff have also been dismissed. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Corberán led West Brom to the play-offs in 2024 Valencia is a club in turmoil right now, with fans demanding change Credit: EPA Gourlay’s departure means the changes go beyond the dugout, with Valencia confirming that Lisandro Isei, Hans Gillhaus, Andrés Zamora and Malek Shafei have also left. The club say the moves are designed to begin “a new phase for the running of the sporting structure and football operations.” Óscar Sánchez, coach of Valencia’s reserve side VCF Mestalla, will take temporary charge of the first team. It is another extraordinary twist for a club that were once regulars among Europe’s elite. Héctor Cúper took Valencia to back-to-back Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001 before Rafa Benitez delivered LaLiga glory in 2001/02 and again in 2003/04, when they also lifted the UEFA Cup. But the good times were followed by a spectacular financial collapse, with debts soaring to almost €600million by 2009. Even then, Valencia remained capable of punching above their financial weight, with current Aston Villa boss Unai Emery guiding them to three successive third-place finishes between 2009/10 and 2011/12. Singaporean businessman and former Salford City co-owner Peter Lim, who owned the Ammies alongside the Class of 92, arrived in 2014 – bought 70 per cent of Valencia through Meriton Holdings and promised around €210million of investment. Peter Lim (second from left) was once co-owner of Salford City alongside the Class of 92 Credit: davidbeckham/Instagram Valencia fans protested last week against the ownership, holding signs up that read ‘Lim Go Home’ Credit: EPA Yet while the financial situation has improved, stability on the football side has remained desperately elusive. Corberán’s dismissal is another chapter in an ownership reign that has now seen 12 different managers (soon to be 13) take charge under Lim. There have been bright spots, most notably the 2019 Copa del Rey final victory over Barcelona. But even that success was followed by the departures of boss Marcelino and sporting director Mateu Alemany due to disagreements regarding transfer policy. Manchester United legend Gary Neville was among those to fall victim to the chaos, lasting just 28 games in his only permanent management job – finishing with a 36 per cent win ratio. The latest upheaval comes with fans already demanding change from the top. Last week before the game against Barcelona, more than 2,000 supporters marched outside Mestalla with yellow sheets carrying the words “Lim Go Home” held aloft. Now the club are promising “stability and confidence in the future” as they look to build a “solid, competitive and sustainable sporting project.” This season is Valencia’s last at their iconic Mestalla Stadium Credit: Getty Valencia are set to move into the Nou Mestalla at the start of the 2027/28 Credit: Getty But the timing could hardly be more worrying, with the long-delayed Nou Mestalla finally taking shape and Valencia due to move into their new 70,000-capacity home next season. Work first began on the stadium in 2007 before financial problems brought construction to a near standstill for 16 years. The redevelopment restarted in January 2025 and is expected to cost around £275million. Yet if Valencia cannot reverse their free fall, they could enter their spectacular new home as a Segunda Division club rather than a LaLiga one. Comment now