An in-depth look at the career of our new head coach, Rubén Sellés...
Born in the Valencian neighborhood of Marxalenes, Spain, on 15 June 1983, Rubén Sellés played football in his youth, firstly for Parreta CF before a year at Burjassot. With the former, Sellés was coaching the seven/eight-year-olds of Parreta CF at just 16 years old before entering the University of Valencia in 2002 to study a Master’s degree in Sports & Physiology.
Developing from a university team to a federated side, their first season saw the now 41-year-old lead the club to promotion from the Segunda Regional before maintaining the club’s status in the Primera Regional, level eight of Spanish football.
Sellés’ first full-time role in professional football came at the start of the 2008/09 campaign, moving to Greece to become an assistant fitness coach at Aris Thessaloniki, working alongside his former teammate David Rodríguez while also doing the second part of his UEFA Pro Licence, graduating aged 25.
Departing in 2009 to take up a similar fitness coaching role at Villarreal’s youth side, on New Year’s Day 2010, Sellés took his first steps into senior management in Russia at Shinnik Yaroslavl, becoming assistant manager to first Igor Lediakhov, and then Aleksandr Pobegalov.
Rejoining Greek side Aris Thessaloniki as an assistant manager for the start of the 2011/12 season, his next job took him to Azerbaijan to be assistant manager at Neftchi PFK. Spending a year-and-a-half with the current nine-time Azerbaijani champions, the 41-year-old became a Chief Data Analyst at Norwegian side Strømsgodset IF before returning to Azerbaijan to become assistant manager at Qarabağ FK.
In July 2018, Sellés began work in his fifth different country, becoming the assistant manager at Danish side Aarhus under the stewardship of former Grimsby Town, Wimbledon, and Norwich City forward David Nielsen. Spending two seasons at Aarhus, Sellés took his first steps into management in his native country in July 2020, managing Valencia’s Under-18 side, before returning to Denmark to become assistant manager at Copenhagen on New Year’s Day 2021.
On 10 June 2022, the 41-year-old departed Copenhagen to join Premier League side Southampton as assistant manager to Ralph Hasenhüttl, making England the sixth country Sellés has worked in.
Upon Hasenhüttl’s sacking five months later, Sellés took temporary charge of the Saints for one game, a penalty shootout win over Sheffield Wednesday to take Southampton to the last 16 of the EFL Cup, before returning to his previous role under new boss Nathan Jones.
Placed in temporary charge again after Jones’ short stint as boss, the 41-year-old’s first test was a trip to the capital to take on Chelsea. Sellés masterminded a 1-0 victory over the Blues at Stamford Bridge on 18 February 2023, courtesy of a free-kick from James Ward-Prowse. Six days after that impressive win, Sellés was appointed manager of Southampton until the end of the 2022/23 season.
Despite impressive results against European chasing sides Tottenham Hotspur (D 3-3), Arsenal (D 3-3) and Liverpool (D 4-4), with the latter a game in which they came from 2-0 down to lead 4-2, Sellés could not keep Southampton in the Premier League, leaving the club at the end of the campaign following the expiry of his contract.
On 26 June 2023, the Spanish-born coach became first-team manager at Reading, with the appointment confirmed on 14 July 2023 following his visa application being accepted. His first of 35 wins in charge of the Royals came in his second game, a crushing 4-0 victory away at Championship side Millwall in the first round of the EFL Cup.
His attacking football brought big victories to a Reading side struggling off-the-field with numerous points deductions. A 9-0 away win over Exeter City saw a club record broken, along with wins over Swindon Town (5-0), Carlisle United (5-1), Arsenal Under-21s (5-2), Charlton Athletic (5-3) and Cambridge United (4-0).
This campaign, despite being under a transfer embargo, has seen Sellés guide Reading to sixth in Sky Bet League One table, winning nine of 17 games and only nine points off first place. Unbeaten in his final six games in all competitions, with four of them being victories, the 41-year-old leaves Reading with back-to-back wins, defeating Harborough 5-3 in the FA Cup before beating Cambridge United 3-0 in his last game in charge of the Royals.