Paco Herrera worked for us 2 years before he went to Espanyol as a Sports director. In Spain the manager role is split in two jobs, the coach, and the sports director, who decides end of contracts, agrees with the coach new signings, define the squad, etc.
Espanyol has reached the final of the UEFA and has comfortably avoid relegation which can be considered as a very good season for Espanyol.
Other clubs, like Osasuna haven't managed so well to play on wednesdays other competitions and are not mathematically saved from relegation. Celta, a team that has unfortunately enhausted their power, are close to be relegated. Same story that happened to them when they played the champions league with not a deep squad, they were relegated, despite having a more than decent squad.
Herrera, Valverde and Espanyol has managed to do well. Herrera has known to increase the value of some youth system player, whilst he was spot on with the signings up of proven centre forwards like Pandiani.
He's applying what he has learnt from Rafa this years, and applying methods of work very similar to LFC, in Espanyol. And he's doing well.
I know he's giving speechs about his LFC years, I hope to grab one of those and bring it to you.
