Vasco Arruabarrena on verge of becoming Boca's new manager | OneFootball

El Vasco has given the green light to begin his second spell as Xeneize coach. Only a few details remain before his return to the club is confirmed.

Boca is going through crucial hours in deciding its new coach. After the departure of Claudio Úbeda, Juan Román Riquelme moved quickly and offered the job to Rodolfo “Vasco” Arruabarrena, who accepted the proposal and is now one step away from returning to the Xeneize bench.

The former Boca coach expressed his desire to return to the club and, according to people close to him, the financial and work-related differences that still need to be resolved would not be an obstacle to finalizing the agreement.

“Vasco wants to take the job no matter what,” sources close to the coach revealed. A decision could come in the next few days, taking advantage of the fact that the squad is on vacation and will only begin preseason on June 18.

Riquelme’s call came shortly after the end of Úbeda’s spell was confirmed. Boca’s president turned to a man with deep ties to the club, both as a player and as a coach, and picked up the phone to make him the offer.

The contact caught Arruabarrena by surprise while he was resting at a ranch in General Las Heras, in Buenos Aires Province. With little signal, Vasco answered the call, listened to the offer, and did not take long to show his willingness to return.

If it is fully confirmed, it will be Arruabarrena’s second spell as Boca head coach. His first stint was between 2014 and 2016, when he took over after Carlos Bianchi left and managed to steady the team at a difficult time.

During that period, Vasco won two domestic titles: the 2015 Primera División tournament and the Copa Argentina that same year.

However, his time in charge was also marked by painful eliminations against River. First in the 2014 Copa Sudamericana and then in the 2015 Copa Libertadores, in the memorable series that ended with the pepper spray scandal and the Xeneize’s disqualification.

In his first spell, Arruabarrena managed 73 matches, with a record of 45 wins, 13 draws, and 15 losses, for a 68.45% win rate.

As a player, Vasco also has an important history with Boca. A product of the club’s youth academy, he won the 2000 Copa Libertadores under Carlos Bianchi and also lifted the 1998 Apertura and 1999 Clausura titles before continuing his career with Spain’s Villarreal.

After leaving his role as Xeneize coach, he continued his career abroad, with spells at clubs in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to coaching the United Arab Emirates national team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.