Van Bronckhorst named coach of Guangzhou R&F

SHANGHAI: Former Barcelona and Arsenal star Giovanni van Bronckhorst was named coach of Chinese top-tier side Guangzhou R&F on Saturday.

The 44-year-old Dutchman succeeds the attack-minded Dragan Stojkovic, whose departure was announced less than 24 hours earlier.

“Under (Van Bronckhorst’s) coaching we expect that the club can settle down in the 2020 season, move forward and offer a whole new look to meet new challenges,” said a statement from Guangzhou, which finished 12th of 16 teams in last season’s Chinese Super League.

After a successful playing career, Van Bronckhorst was in charge at Feyenoord from May 2015 to June 2019.

The former Dutch international defender/midfielder will need to shore up a defence which conceded 72 goals in 30 CSL matches last season.