Former Reading FC chief executive Ron Gourlay has been sacked by Spanish side Valencia after less than six months in charge of the club’s football operations.
Gourlay was dismissed alongside head coach Carlos Corberán and several members of Valencia’s recruitment team following a difficult start to the season.
Valencia are bottom of La Liga with one point from their opening five matches.
The club said it had terminated the contracts of Gourlay and his team, including Lisandro Isei, Hans Gillhaus, Andrés Zamora and Malek Shafei.
Gourlay was appointed Valencia’s chief executive of football in May 2025, with the club tasking him with restructuring its football department and helping return the team to European competition.
His departure will be of particular interest to Reading supporters, given Gourlay’s controversial spell as chief executive of the Berkshire club.
He spent 16 months as the club’s chief executive between July 2017 and November 2018, after being appointed shortly after Dai Yongge and Dai Xiuli took control of the club.
His time at Reading proved controversial, with sections of the fanbase unhappy with his running of the club. Former chairman Sir John Madejski later criticised Gourlay’s understanding of Reading’s culture and his impact on the club’s links with the community
He became an unpopular figure among sections of the Reading fanbase, with supporters regularly criticising the club’s ownership and senior management during his time at the Madejski Stadium.
He subsequently joined Valencia, where his appointment was announced following a visit to Singapore by Corberán and then Valencia sporting director Javier Solís.
At Valencia, Gourlay oversaw a major reshaping of the football department.
Miguel Ángel Corona and Carmelo del Pozo were removed, while Isei, Gillhaus, Zamora and Shafei were brought in as part of the new structure.
Corberán had also been given significant influence over recruitment after taking charge in December 2024.
The former Huddersfield Town manager initially enjoyed a positive impact at Valencia, helping the club avoid relegation after they had spent much of the campaign in danger of going down.
Valencia secured their top-flight status on the penultimate matchday by beating Real Sociedad and Corberán subsequently signed a new contract until 2028.
However, five games into the new season, his position came under increasing pressure following poor performances and defeats against Sevilla and Barcelona.
Valencia said a new structure for its football department would be announced “soon”, while thanking the departing staff for their work.
