Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has been appointed as the new head coach of Slovan Bratislava, signing a three-year contract this weekend. The Ivory Coast legend takes on his first head coach role after being impressed by the Slovakian club's recent Champions League encounter with his former team.
Toure, who spent eight years at Manchester City, admitted that watching Slovan Bratislava compete against City in the 2024 Champions League convinced him of their credentials. City won that match 4-0, but Toure saw enough potential in the Slovakian giants to accept the position.
Before moving to Bratislava, Toure gained coaching experience across Europe. He served as an assistant manager at Olimpik Donetsk, Akhmat Grozny, Standard Liege, and most recently with the Saudi Arabia national team alongside former City boss Roberto Mancini. He also briefly worked at Tottenham Hotspur's academy.
Upon his confirmation, Toure explained: "As an assistant, I had the opportunity to work with Roberto Mancini, for example, but I've longed for a long time to be able to work on my own project as a head coach. I appreciate that this opportunity is coming at a top club, which I recently watched in a Champions League match against Manchester City. I really can't wait for Monday; I'm excited about what lies ahead."
Despite Slovan not being at the same level as some of his previous clubs, Toure is pleased with his new surroundings. "I was very pleasantly surprised by the club's facilities, which are truly top-notch," he added. "With Slovan, I want to play dominant soccer, win games, and control matches so that we can delight our fans. I'm looking forward to getting to know the players personally. I've already tried to study the team in as much detail as possible, but the most important thing will still be to see how the players react during training."
Slovan's previous manager, Vladimir Weiss, led the club to the Slovak Super Liga title this season, handing Toure an opportunity to potentially reunite with the Blues next season. Unlike City, Slovan must navigate Champions League qualifying rounds before reaching the league phase. They will enter at the second qualifying round, with the draw on June 17. Slovan must win that two-legged tie and advance through the third and fourth qualifying rounds to reach the league phase.
