Brighton have named Arturo Ruiz as their new head coach following the abrupt exit of Dario Vidosic just a week before the start of the Women's Super League season.
Ruiz, 29, has joined the club from Real Sociedad and most recently oversaw a 5-2 defeat to Chelsea in the UEFA Women's Champions League on Wednesday.
Zoe Johnson, women's and girls' managing director at Brighton, said: "We are delighted to welcome Arturo to the club.
"During our recruitment process, he quickly stood out. He has a proven track record of developing teams and individuals.
"We have confidence in his ability to continue to drive this team forward, and he will have our full support as we make our final preparations for the start of the new WSL season."
Ruiz informed Real Sociedad before the Chelsea game on Wednesday about Brighton's interest and the club tried to convince him to stay, sources told ESPN.
Ruiz has also previously managed Atlético Madrid.
Vidosic had guided Brighton to fifth place, a club high in his first season in charge and led Brighton to their first FA Cup final last season but suffered a 4-0 loss to Manchester City at Wembley.
On Vidosic's departure, Johnson said: "We are naturally disappointed but respect his decision to pursue a new challenge and wish him every success for the future.
The 39-year-old joined Brighton in 2024 after managing Melbourne City FC and was joined by his father, Rado, who began leading the academy before he passed away in January.
Vidosic said: "Leaving has been a difficult decision, but I believe it is the right time for me and my family to begin a new chapter."
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A source told ESPN that Vidosic has recently attracted interest from Angel City FC and Juventus. Multiple sources told ESPN that Angel City has not made any decisions around a full-time head coaching hire.
Angel City fired Alexander Straus in June after one year on the job. Leif Gunnar Smerud has been the team's interim coach since.
Juventus appointed Isaac Guerrero as coach in July.
Information from ESPN's Jeff Kassouf and the Press Association contributed to this report.