Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow has confirmed the appointment of Murat Yakin as the club’s new manager on a long term basis.

The 39 year old Swiss has joined the Russian side barely a month after leading FC Basel to their second league title in as many years before leaving the club by mutual consent.

According to the sports media in Russia, Yakin will pocket a cool £ 1.3 million for each season in charge at the club and he will be tasked with returning the club to their former glories after they finished sixth in the Russian Premier League last season.

Yakin said that he is delighted to take charge of a club steeped with such tradition as Spartak, adding that even during their negotiations ahead of his appointment; he could see how professional and serious the club board was about the future.

Yakin stated that it is a great challenge for him and he hopes he and his coaching staff can rise to the challenge of leading Spartak Moscow back to the top of Russian football and back into Europe as well.

Yakin is a former Switzerland international and played for Grasshoppers Zurich and FC Basel before hanging up his boots in 2006. He then moved into management with Concordia Zurich and had spells with Thun and Luzern as well before his appointment at Basel.

He opted to leave the Swiss giants after helping them secure their fifth straight league title, the second successive under his management and was linked with the vacant managerial position at Southampton as well.

But that move didn’t happen and Spartak Moscow has won the race for his signature. His appointment also means the Russian giants have changed managers three times in as many months after their season fell apart towards the end of last season.