MADRID — Spanish coach Manuel Preciado died of a heart attack in Valencia aged 54 Thursday, his former club Sporting Gijon said in a statement on its website.
Preciado had Wednesday agreed a deal to take the reins at relegated Villarreal for next season and was scheduled to be presented at the Madrigal Friday.
“Sporting Gijon convey their great sadness for the loss of someone who wrote their name in our history in golden letters, and send their condolences to his family in these painful moments,” the relegated club said.
The popular and charismatic Cantabrian, had coached Sporting between 2006 and January this year, when he was sacked after a poor run of results.
He had been the second longest-serving coach in Sporting’s history, after having also worked with Racing Santander and Levante among others.
Villarreal, which had been looking to Preciado to lead it back in to La Liga next season after he successfully guided Levante and Sporting into the top division, said: “Villarreal wish to show their deep sorrow for the sad loss.”
Tributes quickly appeared in the local media, one of the first coming from the Spanish national team coach Vicente del Bosque in Poland, where the team is preparing to start the defense of its European championship title.
“He was a man of football who represented the best values of his profession,” Del Bosque told Marca Radio.
“He was a fighter who leaves a large gap in this world,” he added of a man who had lost his wife to cancer and a son in a road accident.
Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas wrote Twitter: “I can’t believe the bad news I just woke up with. Hugs for the family of Manolo Preciado. RIP my friend.”

Chelsea stadium bid rejected
Chelsea has failed in its attempt to build a new 60,000-seater stadium at London’s Battersea Power Station, it was announced Friday.
Last month the European champion said it wanted to buy the 39-acre (15.8-hectare) site, whose centrepiece is the giant red-brick power station and four giant chimney stacks that were depicted on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album “Animals”.
Chelsea is keen to move from its Stamford Bridge home in west London as its capacity of 42,000 means it loses matchday revenue in comparison to the likes of Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, which have far bigger grounds.
However, administrators said Thursday a joint bid by two Malaysian companies - SP Setia and Sime Darby - for a “multi-use real estate regeneration project” had been chosen instead for the power station site.
Various plans to redevelop the site over the years have stalled, prompting Chelsea to launch its scheme for a new ground. — Agencies