Atletico Madrid plan to replace coach Abel Resino with Denmark’s Michael Laudrup after suffering a disastrous start to the Spanish league season, a Spanish newspaper said Thursday.
“Atletico hopes to conclude a deal with the Dane this afternoon (Thursday) even if for the moment the contract terms are not known,” the Marca sports daily said on its website.
Laudrup, 45, coached Getafe in the 2007-08 season and took the small club from the Madrid suburbs to the final of the Spanish Cup and to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.
He has also coached Danish club Brondby and Spartak Moscow, where he was fired.
“We must find a solution as quickly as possible because the team is not doing well,” Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said in London. “We can’t go on like this.”
Resino, 49, has been at Atletico since February when he replaced Mexican Javier Aguirre.
Atletico, who finished fourth in the Primera Liga last season, is currently in 15th place, with the worst defensive record in the league.
The club was thrashed 4-0 by Chelsea on Wednesday in the Champions League and with just one point from three games is in danger of going out of the tournament.
