Pep Guardiola's Trusted Assistant Set to Depart

Raúl Caneda, a 55-year-old Spanish coach and trusted assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, is on the verge of leaving the Premier League champions to take up the head coach position at Zhejiang FC in the Chinese Super League. He is expected to replace Jordi Vinyals, who led Zhejiang to a seventh-place finish with 38 points this season.

Reports indicate that Zhejiang's management recently traveled to Manchester to negotiate with Caneda, who has a rich coaching background in both Asia and Europe. He has previously collaborated closely with Juan Manuel Lillo, Guardiola's current assistant, at clubs like Real Sociedad and UD Almería.

Known for his emphasis on defensive solidity and youth development, Caneda boasts a managerial record of 32 wins, 22 draws, and 29 losses over 83 matches. One of his notable achievements includes leading Al-Ittihad to eliminate Guangzhou Evergrande in the 2012 AFC Champions League quarter-finals.

Should the deal be finalized, Caneda is expected to join Zhejiang before the end of the month to prepare the team for winter training scheduled for January. His potential appointment has been well-received by Chinese fans, who are optimistic that his Guardiola-inspired tactical approach will enhance Zhejiang's competitiveness in the Super League.

This move follows Quique Setién's recent appointment as head coach of Beijing Guoan, increasing the number of Spanish managers in the Chinese Super League to two.