La Liga side Espanyol sacked coach Sergio Gonzalez on Monday after a run of just one win in their past eight games.

"Espanyol have decided in the past few hours to release the Catalan coach from his duties," the club said in a statement on their website.

Gonzalez was a former Espanyol player and led them to a respectable 10th-placed finish in his first season in charge last season.

However, a 1-0 defeat to Celta Vigo despite playing against 10 men for over 40 minutes on Saturday left them just three points above the relegation zone in 12th.

Last month, Chinese model car maker Rastar Group struck a deal to buy an 80 percent stake in the Barcelona-based club with a 45 million euro injection expected to help clear the club's debts.

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