Former West Brom boss Alan Pardew lands director’s job at CSKA Sofia

The 59-year-old left his previous job as manager of Dutch club Den Haag when the Eredivisie season was cancelled in April because of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time the team were in the relegation zone, seven points adrift of safety.

Now, though, Pardew has again decided to test himself abroad after landing his first director of football role.

CSKA Sofia, nicknamed the Reds and the Armymen, have won a record 31 Bulgarian titles, but none since the 2007/08 season.

The club said Pardew was now ‘part of the big red family of the army’.

They added: “He will help with his vast experience and contacts in the overall development of the club and attracting players to the representative team.”

After stints at Reading, West Ham, Charlton and Southampton, Pardew moved to Newcastle in 2010.

The following year he was named the 2011/12 Premier League manager of the season after guiding the Magpies to fifth.

He then signed an eight-year contract extension only to move to Crystal Palace in January 2015.

His Palace side were beaten by Manchester United in the 2016 FA Cup final, a match where he famously danced after his team scored.

But his time at Albion was a disaster. Pardew arrived at The Hawthorns in November 2017 following the sacking of Tony Pulis.

But the Baggies won just one of 18 league games under him, taking eight points from a possible 54.

And he was dismissed following a run of eight successive defeats, which left the club 10 points from safety with six games remaining.

CSKA Sofia are currently third in the Bulgarian top flight after 12 games

But, having finished second last season, they qualified for the Europa League, and have subsequently managed to make it to the group stages. They have so far picked up one point from three games in a group that contains Roma, Cluj and Young Boys.