Elche manager Eder Sarabia resigns after guiding club to La Liga survival

Eder Sarabia has resigned as Elche head coach, the club confirmed, just days after Los Franjiverdes secured their La Liga survival with a 1-1 draw at Girona on the final day of the season. The departure is entirely self-initiated, with Sarabia making clear at an emotional press conference that there were no disputes with the club’s hierarchy.

Sarabia told reporters his decision was personal, centred on the toll that top-level management takes on family life. “It is a very demanding profession, and you end up neglecting other important things – your family, your children, and my relationship with my wife, which I would like to see improve,” he said. “My wife and I made this decision on Sunday, and it was reached with calmness, clarity, and full awareness.”

He confirmed he will not be returning to coaching for at least a few months. “We are going to take a few months off, and from there, we will prepare ourselves to attend to other needs that are fundamental,” he added.

Sarabia was effusive in his praise for the club he is leaving. “We have lived through two incredible years. I have nothing but eternal gratitude toward the club,” he said. “We came with a dream, and we have achieved very significant things. The Martinez Valero is now one of the best stadiums in the First Division. None of this would have been possible without the spectacular group we have had over these two seasons.”

The achievement of keeping Elche up this season was considerable. The club operated with one of the smaller budgets in La Liga, yet Sarabia’s side played an attractive brand of football that drew widespread admiration in the first half of the campaign. Although their form levelled off as the season progressed, they accumulated enough points to retain their top-flight status.

Sarabia’s rise through Spanish football has been rapid. He built his reputation at Andorra, winning promotion to Segunda División before keeping them there. He then joined Elche and delivered the Segunda División title in his first season, earning promotion to La Liga, before completing the double feat of consolidating their place in the top flight.

With a track record of promotion and survival on limited resources, Sarabia is expected to attract significant interest from La Liga clubs when he decides to return to management.