Sheffield United confirmed that Ruben’s appointment is less than an hour after the club announced that Chris Wilder would leave Bramall Lane by “mutual consent”.
The former boss of Hull City has signed a three-year contract and new coach meetings to join the Backroom of Selles staff will be announced in due course.
Wilder left his role by mutual consent following an exam last season, when the team failed to promote the Premier League in the championship final in Sunderland.
Soulles, which was dismissed by the Tigers despite keeping them in the championship, had previously been the director of Reading and was an acting boss in Southampton.
The Spanish coach also beat Wilder’s Blades 3-0 in Bramall Lane with Hull in January.
A club statement said that it had acted “quickly” to appoint his next boss, after having interviews with the Portuguese earlier in the week.
Speaking in the press release, Selles said: “When we heard of the possibility for the first time to come here, it was obvious for us to join a club with this type of history and with a mission to move forward and try to be even more competitive.
“This is a very powerful and ambitious project. It was very important at the start of conversations that everyone is on the same wavelength.”
The Blades won 90 points last season – a total that would have equaled its club record, but for a two -point deduction imposed by the EFL – and this count would have been enough to increase automatically in the past 10 seasons.
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Protruding facts of the championship final between Sheffield United and Sunderland
After four successive defeats during the meeting, United was 15 minutes from the victory in Wembley before two late goals promoted Sunderland.
Despite this close Miss, the Coh Sports consortium, based in the United States, led by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, decided that they wanted to bring a new head coach.
Gary O’Neil was being studied for the role, but the bosses of the Blades decided that they wanted to go in a different direction. They finished a takeover last December, when Wilder was already in charge of the team.
Sheffield United said that Wilder’s achievements at the club “would never be forgotten” and that he and his coaches Alan Knill and Matt Prestridge leave “with the best wishes and the gratitude of everyone”.
Wilder: I love this club and this city
In an emotional statement after the announcement of his departure, Wilder said: “It was with great regret that my time at Sheffield United ended.
“I would like to thank Stephen Bettis and Prince Abdullah for having brought me back to the club and giving me the opportunity to rebuild the team and advance this big club.
“I would also like to thank all the club’s staff, everyone behind the scenes that you do not see often, and, of course, the players who made a monumental effort last season, it was a pleasure to work with you, your desire and your commitment were indisputable and I have no doubt that you have great success in the future.
“For fans, I am obviously disappointed to leave, especially because we were so close to returning to the Premier League. I am a sheffielder from start to finish, I love this club and this city and this feeling will never change.
“I am leaving with darling memories and I am proud to speak in the same way as the special managers of Sheffield United remember – lead this team more than 300 times will remain an incredible part of my life. It’s a sincere thank you for all your support.
“Finally, I would like Steven Rosen, Helmy Eltouky and the board will have all the best to move forward. At the top of the blades.”
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Chris Wilder was injured after the end of the final defeat of Sheffield United to Sunderland and questioned the use of Var in the final after the full season of the League in the championship without her
Sky Sports News reported Tuesday that there had been no flaw with the board of directors, and in fact Wilder has an excellent relationship with Rosen. The change of manager is motivated by the new regime who wishes to bring his own person to direct the football operation.
COHs are determined to use an approach focused on recruitment and game, which is something that Wilder was open to takeover.
At the start of last season, Wilder was in charge during a huge reconstruction, 22 players leaving Bramall Lane and the average age of the team descending at 24 years old. Although the owners recognize and appreciate how Wilder added value to the team, which was not enough for him to keep his work.
Last week, United signed the Nigerian winger Ehije Ukaki from the Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv on the basis of his impressive statistics in the first professional league.
