Boca Juniors have named Jorge Almiron as their new coach following the departure of Hugo Ibarra, the club said on Monday.
The former Argentine defender is set to take charge of last year's champions of the Copa de la Liga and Liga Profesional and was in the stands on Sunday as Boca -- who now sit 12th in the Primera Division, 10 points behind leaders River Plate -- lost 2-1 to Colon.
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"Jorge Almiron, welcome home," Boca posted on Twitter, alongside several images of the new coach in his first training session with the team.
✨ Una nueva etapa que comienza. ¡Bienvenido, Jorge Almirón! 💪💙💛💙 pic.twitter.com/kSMMqSHCAS
— Boca Juniors (@BocaJrsOficial) April 10, 2023
"I'm excited and grateful for this opportunity, today I met the players and I am also excited to meet the fans who expect an improvement," Almiron told a news conference.
"The demands are very high in this place. It's a dream as a coach to be here, I hope to improve the team, the game and that the players feel good."
Almiron, 51, who began his coaching career in the Mexican league, has managed teams such as Independiente and Lanus, with whom he won the 2016 Primera Division championship, Copa Bicentenario and Supercopa Argentina, also reaching the final of the 2017 Copa Libertadores, which he lost to Gremio.
He was sacked less than a month into the job by Elche last year due to the Spanish LaLiga side's poor results.
Boca drew 0-0 with Monagas in their opening Group F match of the Copa Libertadores on April 6.