Beijing Guoan have appointed former West Bromwich Albion manager Slaven Bilic as their new head coach on a two-year contract, the Chinese Super League (CSL) club announced on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old former Croatia national football team's defender replaces Frenchman Bruno Genesio at the helm.

Under Genesio, Beijing finished third in the Chinese Super League before reaching the quarter-finals of the 2020 AFC Champions League, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Ulsan Hyundai FC.

Bilic will work in China for the first time in a coaching career that saw him help his native Croatia reach the finals of the 2008 and 2012 European championships before working in Russia with Lokomotiv Moscow and in Turkey at Besiktas.

He then spent just over two seasons in England with West Ham United, where he had also previously spent a season during his playing days. That stint preceded a short spell with two-time AFC Champions League winners Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Bilic joined West Bromwich Albion in the second division of the English Football League in the summer of 2019 and led the club back to the Premier League at the end of his first season, only to be released by the club last month following a disappointing run of results.

Beijing will be one of four Chinese sides to feature in this year's AFC Champions League, joining CSL champions Jiangsu Suning, runners-up Guangzhou Evergrande, and Chinese FA Cup winners Shandong Luneng.

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