“As a manager, the Asian and K League stage will be a new challenge,” Poyet told Jeonbuk’s official website. “I will work together with the players and fans to make this challenge a success.”

Poyet’s first game in charge will be against Port FC from Thailand in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25 in Bangkok on February 13. The return will be at Jeonju World Cup stadium one week later.

The 57-year-old brings significant experience to the role, having previously worked in England, Spain, Greece, France and China PR, where he spent a 10-month spell with Shanghai Shenhua.

A former midfielder who won the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup with Chelsea and the Copa America with Uruguay three years earlier, Poyet will be looking to turn around the fortunes of a club that has struggled in recent seasons.

Jeonbuk’s last K League title success came in 2021 and they won the second of their two AFC Champions League™ titles in 2016.