Rodolfo Arruabarrena said on Friday that he is "excited" about the prospect of returning to manage Boca Juniors, 10 years after his first spell in charge of the Xeneize.
Although the club has not officially confirmed his appointment, comments to local media on his arrival in Argentina strongly suggest Arruabarrena is the first choice of Boca President Juan Román Riquelme to replace the departed Claudio Úbeda.
Úbeda's contract was not renewed after a disappointing run of results. He took charge after the death of Miguel Ángel Russo.
Arruabarrena, 50, is preparing for a second stint at Boca, having previously managed the club between August 2014 and March 2016. During that spell he won two trophies: the 2015 Argentine Primera División title and the 2015 Copa Argentina.
Speaking to reporters at Ezeiza International Airport on Friday, Arruabarrena said he hoped to "live up to expectations and repay the faith of the people who have trusted me".
"I'm happy, very excited, but it's inappropriate to speak too much because I haven't signed yet," Arruabarrena said.
He added that his aim would be to "build a competitive team that reflects the identity Boca supporters expect from their club.”
Negotiations for his arrival are understood to be well advanced, with Arruabarrena expected to begin work next week ahead of pre-season training.
He would take charge of a Boca side facing an immediate return to competitive action, with a Copa Argentina fixture scheduled for July 16 followed shortly afterwards by the Copa Sudamericana play-off round for a place in the last 16.
Boca are due to face Chilean side O'Higgins after their painful elimination from the Copa Libertadores group stage, which ultimately led to Úbeda's departure.
Arruabarrena is also fondly remembered at Boca for his time as a player during the hugely successful era under Carlos Bianchi, known as the ‘el Virrey,’ in the early 2000s.
"Everyone knows what Boca means to me," Arruabarrena said. "I had two or three conversations with Román to clarify a few things, then we analysed the squad and the reserve team as well."
– TIMES/AFP
