Spaniard Pako Ayestaran has been named the new head coach of reigning Liga MX champion Santos Laguna, the club announced on Wednesday.
Ayestaran was assistant to Rafa Benitez in his successful stints in winning La Liga with Valencia and the Champions League at Liverpool.
The Spaniard branched out on his own with Estudiantes Tecos in Mexico's second division in 2013, guiding the club to the Clausura 2014 title and narrowly missing out on promotion after a penalty shoot-out against Leones Negros.
Ayestaran moved on to Maccabi Tel Aviv in August 2014, where he won an unprecedented treble of the Israeli first division, Israel State Cup and Toto Cup in his first season, before he left last June.
The new coach will be traveling to Torreon in coming days and will be presented to the media on Saturday. His backroom staff will be made up of three Spanish coaches.
Outgoing coach Pedro Caixinha unexpectedly quit the club last Saturday, after Santos Laguna had been defeated 2-0 by Club America on Friday.
The Portuguese coach helped the club to four Liga MX semifinals in five seasons and won one league title and one Copa MX.