CSKA has not yet announced a permanent replacement for Hristo Yanev. Negotiations are ongoing, and the first team remains under the leadership of interim coach Daniel Morales, who took over training again after the last match before the break for the national teams.
Hristo Yanev resigned on September 8, the day before CSKA's 4:2 victory against Levski in the Bulgarian Super Cup. Two days later, the club announced that Daniel Morales would lead the representative team until a permanent coach was selected, while Yanev would continue to work within the club's structure.
From advanced talks to final selection
On September 12, sports director Valentin Iliev stated that the talks were in an advanced phase, but did not specify a name or a specific deadline for signing.
From his words, it follows that at this point there was no finalized contract. CSKA maintains its practice of not announcing details until the agreement is signed.
What are the options being discussed
According to Sportal, the management held talks with nearly ten foreign specialists before the list was narrowed down to four candidates. Several of the coaches visited Sofia, viewed the base and spoke with the club's management.
Among the names publicly mentioned are Spaniards Juan Francesc Ferrer-Ruby and Asier Garitano, as well as Serbian Zharko Lazetic. Ferrer-Ruby most recently led Almeria, Garitano worked at Real Sociedad and Tenerife, and Lazetic was at the helm of TSC Backa Topola and Al Taavon.
Alexey Shpilevsky, who was initially among the main options and visited the club's base, has already been dropped from the calculations. Sportal also announced that contact with José Luis Mendilibar has been terminated. In the final phase, candidates from Spain and Germany seem to be the leading candidates, but the club has not officially confirmed any of the names.
When is a decision expected
The initial plan was for the new coach to start work during the international break in order to have time to get to know the players before the championship resumes. However, this deadline was not met. On September 25, Morales was again leading the training process, and on September 27, a permanent coach had still not been introduced.
Thus, the closest real reference point remains the end of the break for the national teams. If there is no contract by then, Morales will continue to prepare the squad for the visit of CSKA 1948. CSKA has not specified an official deadline for announcing the new coach.
Sources: Sportal, BTA, Eurocom