Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe has explained why Jose Ramon Alexanko has been promoted by the club.
The Spanish tactician arrived at the Chloorkop-based giants last September and he was appointed director of academy and scouting.
Alexanko has now been promoted to head of the technical department after Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane signed a new four-year deal which will keep him at the club until June 2024.
"We are also excited that José Ramón Alexanko, who played for and captained FC Barcelona and was also the Head of the FC Barcelona Academy, has joined Mamelodi Sundowns as the Head of the Technical Department," Motsepe said in a press conference.
Alexanko replaced Jesus Garcia Pitarch at Valencia as the director of football midway through the 2016/17 season.
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Motsepe believes the Sundowns first team will benefit from working with the man, who won four La Liga titles, the European Cup and two Uefa Cup Winners' Cups as a player.
"He was also the Director of Football at La Liga club, Valencia CF. The Youth Academy, as well as the Senior Team, will benefit immensely from his vast experience and expertise," Motsepe added
This means Mosimane has a new boss in Alexanko, who also served as a first-team assistant coach at Barcelona between 2000 and 2002.
In January 2018, Swedish coach Erik Hamren was appointed Sundowns head of technical and he worked with Mosimane in the first team.
However, the well-travelled tactician was released from his contract with Masandawana to take over as the national head coach of Iceland at the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign.
Alexanko worked under Carles Rexach at Barca and the duo was teammates at the Catalan club when the team clinched the 1981 Copa Del Rey.
Prior to his return to Barcelona in 2000, Alexanko coached Romanian clubs FC Universitatea Craiova and National Bucuresti in the late 90s.
The 64-year-old tactician led Craiova to the Romanian Cup final where they lost to Rapid Bucuresti during the 1997/98 season.