Lionel Messi-linked team Eldense hires Javi Calleja as coach

MADRID (AP) – Lionel Messi 's new team in Spain has hired Javi Calleja as coach.

Key points

• Second-division Eldense remarked Wednesday that Calleja had been hired on a contract until June 2028.
• He has first-division experience with Spanish clubs Villarreal and Alaves, and twice led Villarreal to fifth place in the league.
• Eldense remarked last week that Messi was set to become the club's majority shareholder.
• The accord will see him purchase the shares held by Grupo TH Soluciones, subject to the completion of the remaining legal and contractual procedures.
• Eldense will become the second Spanish club that Messi has invested in.

He has first-division experience with Spanish clubs Villarreal and Alaves, and twice led Villarreal to fifth place in the league. In the second division, Calleja has coached Levante and Oviedo.

Eldense remarked last week that Messi was set to become the club's majority shareholder. The Argentina great has reached a preliminary agreement with the owners.

In practice, the accord will see him purchase the shares held by Grupo TH Soluciones, subject to the completion of the remaining legal and contractual procedures.

Eldense will become the second Spanish club that Messi has invested in. Earlier this year, he became the owner of a fifth-division side, Barcelona-based UE Cornella.

Eldense is based near the port city of Alicante in southeast Spain. See AP's full soccer coverage here.

For now, lionel Messi-linked team Eldense hires Javi Calleja as coach remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.