Former Manchester City and Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini has set his sights on next year's Chinese Super League after arriving in China to take over at the helm of Hebei China Fortune.
Pellegrini was named the new head coach of the club just before the start of the international break, replacing former Everton midfielder Li Tie after a disappointing run of form that saw the club slip out of contention for the Chinese Super League title.
"There are six or seven games left in the season and I will set up the team according to our different opponents," the Chilean said upon his arrival in China on Thursday evening.
"Of course, I hope our ranking can rise, but I have higher expectations for next season.
"Someone in Chile introduced me to the football development and environment in China, and I know we are in the golden age of Chinese football. I hope to experience it myself."
Pellegrini will watch his new club's game against league leaders Guangzhou Evergrande on Saturday before taking full control of team affairs on Monday.
Assistant coach Gao Yao will lead the team in this weekend's encounter against a Guangzhou side that leads the standings by six points from Jiangsu Suning but has struggled in recent weeks, failing to win any of their last three matches.
Hebei have dropped to fifth in the table after picking up just one win in their last five games and are 15 points behind Guangzhou. They are five points behind third-placed Shanghai Shenhua in the battle for the places in the Asian Champions League with seven games remaining.