Ambitious Anzhi appoint Krasnozhan

Anzhi Makhazhkala have ended their long search for a permanent coach by appointing Yury Krasnozhan. The 48-year-old, who previously led fellow Russian Premier League teams Spartak Nalchik and Lokomotiv Moscow, has signed a five-year deal. No financial details of the contract were disclosed. "I'm really grateful to the club's management for their trust in me," Krasnozhan said. "It's not only an honourable and difficult mission to lead such a club, but also a very interesting job." After his resignation from Lokomotiv in June, Krasnozhan coached Russia's national reserve side. Reports said he will combine jobs in the first six months of his Anzhi tenure. German Chistyakov, Anzhi's vice-president, said: "He's top-class professional, and we hope his experience and knowledge will improve our team's performance a great deal. We have no doubts that he is capable of solving the most serious tasks." After the resignation of Gadzhi Gadzhiev in September, Anzhi were coached by his assistant Andrei Gordeyev, who prepared the team for domestic league matches together with Brazilian veteran Roberto Carlos. Anzhi, founded in 1991, enjoyed little success in Russian football until being acquired by the tycoon Suleyman Kerimov this year and going on a spending spree that landed them Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o and Roberto Carlos. It had been rumoured that Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who guided Russia to the UEFA EURO 2008 semi-finals, would be appointed as Anzhi's new boss. Italian Fabio Capello, currently the England coach, was also considered by Anzhi chiefs as a possible candidate for the post.