(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Chico Flores (pictured) has left English Premier League side Swansea City to join his former manager Michael Laudrup who is now head coach of Qatar Stars League (QSL) side Lekhwiya.
Laudrup was appointed as the new coach of the Qatari champions last month following his dismal by Swansea last February.
Chico released an open letter to Swansea's fans on Saturday on news of his move saying: "I write this letter with grief, gratitude and joy, for I will be facing a new personal and sporting challenge,"
"I have experienced so much these two seasons that, by far, exceeded my expectations. That is why today I am sad to leave a club that has been like a family since the beginning and allowed me to enjoy and experience football in a very special and intense way.
He added: "I go to another country and another league. Here in Europe I enjoyed three of the best leagues in the world ... and I have experienced so much. Hence, the new challenge I face will be given the same enthusiasm as what I came with to Swansea two years ago."
His departure continues a Spanish exodus from Swansea after striker Michu left for Napoli on loan, Alejandro Pozuelo joined Rayo Vallecano and winger Pablo Hernandez moved to Al Arabi SC.
Flores was in Doha for his medical, after which he signed a contract with Lekhwiya.
The club will hold a press conference to unveil the player after the team returns from its training camp in Austria.
Lekhwiya was looking this summer for a replacement to their outgoing defender Majid Bougherra.
Flores started as a youth player with hometown club Cádiz CF in 2005 and had loan spells at Racing Club Portuense and Barcelona B, helping the Catalans gain promotion to level three.
In July 2010 he signed a five-year contract for Genoa. He played under former Swans boss Michael Laudrup while on loan at La Liga outfit RCD Mallorca in 2011. In 2012, he arrived at the Liberty Stadium in the summer of 2012 after Swansea paid Genoa £2m During the 2013-14 campaign at Swansea, he made 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.