Betis has announced the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini, who has signed a contract with the club until June 30, 2023. It will be the fourth time that the Chilean will have coached in Spain following spells with Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga. Pellegrini returns to the La Liga after an absence of seven years.

The club statement, released on Thursday, said, “Real Betis Balompié has appointed the Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini to lead the Verdiblanco team from next season. The contract that brings Pellegrini to the club will last until June 30, 2023″.

The former Real Madrid, Manchester City and West Ham Utd manager returns to Spain after his last stint at Málaga, where he coached until 2013. Pellegrini has been out of work since last December, when he was released by West Ham.

“Real Betis is delighted to welcome a coach of the highest level and with great international prestige to raise the level of performance of the first team, in a three-year project,” the Verdiblanco club said in its statement.