Valencia aim to compete for top honours with former Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay at the helm

SINGAPORE – After overcoming an early threat of relegation and turning things around to remain in the La Liga, Singaporean-owned Valencia are aiming to compete for honours and “return to the top tier of European football” with the hiring of former Chelsea chief executive officer Ron Gourlay.

Valencia president Kiat Lim, the son of owner Peter Lim, said in a statement that they are building for the future, with a foundation that is “sustainable, ambitious and worthy of our proud history”.

The 31-year-old, who was appointed in March, added: “In Ron Gourlay, we have a senior and very experienced sporting CEO who understands the complexities of modern football and the demands of a top-tier club to lead the project.”

The 63-year-old Briton comes with considerable pedigree, having held senior executive roles at English clubs Manchester United, Chelsea, Reading, West Bromwich Albion (WBA) and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli.

Most notably, he was with Chelsea from 2009 to 2014, during which he oversaw one of the most successful periods in the Blues’ history as they won an English Premier League title, two FA Cups and their first Champions League and Europa League titles.

He led strategic and operational transformations at Championship sides Reading and WBA, before joining Al-Ahli, who won the AFC Champions League Elite title in May.

While Valencia’s recent business model has been largely “sell, replace, repeat” with an emphasis on blooding youth academy players and picking up loan and free transfers – they spent just €24.25 million (S$35.5 million) on transfers in the last three seasons – Gourlay hinted their approach may change.

He said: “With Kiat’s leadership at the helm, we have a shared ambition to restore Valencia to where it belongs – competing for top honours, with a squad that reflects the club’s identity and future.”

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