Cardiff City have confirmed Sabri Lamouchi as their new manager.
It is understood the Frenchman has signed a deal until the end of the season with the Bluebirds. He will be joined in the dugout by City legend Sol Bamba, which was exclusively revealed by WalesOnline on Thursday, who will act as Lamouchi's assistant in the Welsh capital.
His first game in charge will be Tuesday's Championship clash away to Luton.
Cardiff sacked Mark Hudson following the 1-1 draw with bottom club Wigan Athletic earlier this month and installed Dean Whitehead as caretaker manager in the interim.
Whitehead, along with first-team coach Tom Ramasut and goalkeeping coach Graham Stack, will remain on the staff under the new coaching ticket.
Owner Vincent Tan said: “I’d like to welcome Sabri to Cardiff City and offer him my full support. His appointment has come about following a period of serious consideration and reflection as to what is the best for our Club.
“I’m confident that Sabri will be able to deliver what we know this squad is capable of achieving and I look forward to the games that we have ahead of us.
“I’d also like to welcome back Sol to Sabri’s coaching staff, a sentiment I know that you will share. I want to thank Dean, Tom and Graham for their commitment and diligence during the interim period and am pleased that they will be part of our plans going forward.”
The brief will be very much to keep Cardiff in the Championship this season. The Bluebirds are currently 21st in the standings and they will hope they benefit from the new-manager-bounce effect often associated with appointments.
The club are also expecting to make signings before Tuesday's transfer deadline, with three players due to come in.
Former France international Lamouchi, 51, most recently managed Al-Duhail in Qatar, but will be better known on these shores for his time in the dugout with Nottingham Forest in the 2019/20 season.
In Lamouchi's only full season in charge of Forest, he had the club in the play-off places all season before a dramatic final day of the campaign saw Cardiff and Swansea City leapfrog them, knocking them out of the top six. He was relieved of his duties in October 2021.
He also worked in the French top flight with Rennes, steering them to fifth in Ligue 1, before taking over at the City Ground.
Lamouchi worked with Bamba while in charge of the Ivory Coast national team between 2012 and 2014.
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