Reading Football Club is delighted to announce that Rubén Sellés has now completed the paperwork on a contract to become first team manager of the Royals.
The Spaniard was at the training ground to welcome the players back to Bearwood earlier this month and was with the group for a pre-season training camp in his native Spain last week, but had to await confirmation of approval of his work visa before he could get to work out on the grass.
The visa was granted on Tuesday evening and, collecting his passport on Wednesday, he flew back to the UK on Thursday and will train with the first team for the first time this morning. So, it’s official…Rubén is a Royal.
Born in Valencia and a boyhood fan of football at the Mestalla, Sellés finished a master's degree in Sports and Physiology before qualifying for his UEFA Pro Licence at the age of 25.
Rubén soon embarked on a career in coaching the beautiful game, initially in Greece with Aris Thessaloniki but soon returning to his native Spain to take a role with Valencia.
In 2010, Sellés moved to Russia to become no.2 to Igor Lediakhov at Shinnik Yaroslavl and, a year later, he was appointed as assistant manager back in Greece with Aris Thessaloniki.
Silverware came his way during assistant manager roles in Azerbaijan; following a two-year spell in the capital at Neftchi Baku, he went on to work under manager Gurban Gurbanov at Qarabag where he won back-to-back league titles. Between those spells in Azerbaijan, he also worked for a short stint in Norway.
In 2018, the Spaniard joined the Danish club Aarhus as assistant to David Nielsen and, having helped the Whites qualify for Europe, Sellés helped the club achieve its best league finish for more than 20 years.
A stint managing his boyhood club’s Under-18s squad ended when Sellés returned to Scandinavia to stand alongside Jess Thorup in the dugout of FC Copenhagen – and again he achieved success when Copenhagen claimed their first Danish title in three years and qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Conference League.
Last summer, Sellés arrived on UK shores for the first time and settled quickly into Premier League life on the south coast as assistant to Ralph Hasenhüttl at Southampton.
Having made his impact quickly at St Mary’s he was given the caretaker manager role when Hasenhüttl departed in November, presiding over a 1–1 draw and a penalty shootout win over Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup.
He was entrusted with the manager’s hotseat once more following the exit of Nathan Jones in February and he won his first game at the helm - a 1–0 win over Chelsea coming courtesy of James Ward-Prowse’s winner on the stroke of half-time at Stamford Bridge.
Southampton were already staring at relegation when Rubén took the reins but Sellés was able to record some notable results in charge of the Saints until the end of the campaign - a vital home win over rivals for the drop Leicester City, a valuable point at Old Trafford, come-from-behind high-scoring draws at home to both Spurs and Liverpool and a shock 3-3 clash at the Emirates that derailed Arsenal’s title charge.
Now, Rubén is a Reading man, ready for a very new challenge!
Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said “The search for our manager was exhaustive, complex and undeniably challenging. It has taken longer than any of us wished or anticipated but it was imperative that we got the appointment of a new first team manager right. Having jumped this final hurdle, with all the visa documents now fully approved and ratified, I’m so pleased Rubén can now take the reins.
“Rubén is an ambitious man with an insatiable enthusiasm for football, a clear, conscientious and analytical approach to coaching and a determination and hunger to succeed. We all have to be aligned on a clear footballing philosophy at this club which can cascade down from the first team through the age groups of our Academy, fully embracing our continued commitment to the development of our young players…and Rubén has proven pedigree in implementing that philosophy.
“So we believe that, in Rubén, we have identified an impressive manager who is the right fit for us and who, importantly, is ready to grasp this opportunity and take on the challenges that lie ahead.
“Those challenges still remain, but we believe the outstanding financial issues which have kept this club under strict embargo are now being resolved, so we will tackle those challenges head on as a football club. This has to be the start! This must be the beginning of a project which will see us collectively drive this club forward. And that project absolutely has to include our supporters at every turn. Speaking personally, I wholeheartedly appreciate our fans’ patience which I know has been severely tested. Now, with Rubén at the helm, we will aim to revitalise this club and propel it along the right path.”