While the management careers of Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerard have been well documented, a former Liverpool team-mate of both men has been dominating the football scene in Slovenia for the past two seasons, and is now bringing the interest of French giants FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
Bordeaux have been struggling this season in Ligue 2, as they currently sit 13th in the table, 10 points off the automatic promotion places. This poor start cost David Guion after his failure to gain promotion back to Ligue 1 immediately following the club’s relegation in 2021.
The financial irregularities of the French side have been well documented, which resulting in their demotion. However, Bordeaux are looking to return to the French top flight once again to help restore the pride of the club and ease its financial situation.
The six-time Ligue 1 winners are nowhere near where they want to be, and they believe the solution is former Liverpool winger Albert Riera. The Spaniard has been impressive in his time in Slovenia after taking the leap into management with Olimpija Ljubljana.
His tenure started in extremely strange circumstances, however, as his opening press conference was stormed by ultras upset with the sacking of previous manager Robert Prosinecki after just three months in his role.
Despite this most surreal of starts, Riera would demonstrate just exactly why he was hired to take charge of Olimpija and manage to quell the ultras’ anger at him and the board.
Riera would claim a domestic double as he guided Olimpija to their first league title in five years, denying bitter rivals Maribor their 17th title while also winning the Slovenian Cup against Maribor with a 130th-minute penalty.
Despite this success, Riera would reveal that the club had not offered him a new contract, seemingly due to a fallout with the board.
Sensing an opportunity, Celje offered the 41-year-old a job as their manager to attempt to do a feat that has only occurred once before: win the league title. Celje convinced the former Red to stay another year in the central European country as they looked to build upon their second-place finish in 2022/23.
This decision has proved fruitful thus far for both parties. Heading into the international break, Riera has the club sitting at the top of the Slovenian top flight, five points clear of their nearest challengers.
However, the French club has put a spanner in the works to the ambitions of Celje as Bordeaux look set to remove what the Slovenian side believed was the missing piece to ending their four-year wait to reclaim the title.
Riera had previously outlined his dream to manage in the top divisions of Europe, and the former Espanyol player must sense this as a possible route to achieve this goal. France was not mentioned as a possible option by Riera in a previous interview with the Liverpool ECHO, though, as he explained: “The dream for me now is to manage in Spain because it’s my country. But I have always said the Premier League in England is the best league and where I enjoy playing more. Who knows, maybe one day I will come back.”
Celje and Bordeaux are in compensation negotiations currently as Riera, who has played in recent times for the Liverpool Legends, looks to progress his career.