Alexandre Polking will be the second foreign manager in the V.League 2021. Photo courtesy of Bangkok United

HCM CITY — Bangkok United’s former coach Alexandre Polking has been appointed as HCM City FC’s new manager after the departure of Chung Hae-seong, the club has confirmed.

Polking will receive a salary of US$20,000 a month, half of what he earned in Thailand. He will become the league's second-highest-paid manager, after Hoàng Anh Gia Lai’s new Thai coach Kiatisuk Senamuang.

The salary of Kiatisak is about VNĐ 610 million a month.

Polking will get more add-ons if HCM City perform well in the upcoming season.

He is expected to arrive in the southern city next week and will be quarantined for 14 days. During this time, he will prepare tactics and get ready for the next season.

HCM City are undergoing a transition and have seen many players leave the club such as Trần Phi Sơn, Nguyễn Công Phượng and Seo Yong-duk.

Besides creating chemistry between players, one of Polking’s key tasks will be to enhance the quality of foreign players like Costa Rican duo Ariel Rodriguez and Jose Ortiz.

Polking has eight years’ experience working in Thailand and twice led Bangkok United to second place in Thai League. But this past season, due to poor results, he was fired.

HCM City started the 2020 V.League 1 season well but failed to continue the good performance in the second phase after Công Phượng’s injury.

With only eight points in the last eight matches, including defeats against title-challengers Ha Noi FC and Viettel, City ended up finishing fifth with 28 points, 13 behind the champions Viettel.

With an understanding about Southeast Asian football, Polking is hoped to guide the southern side back towards the top. —VNS