Croatian giants Hajduk Split have named Ante Mise as the club's new coach.

Mise, a former Croatia international who has been serving as Hajduk's acting coach, signed a deal making him head coach through to mid-2010, Hajduk said in a statement on its website.

"I have ambitions to be with Hajduk, the best (club) in Croatia. I'm glad that I've signed the contract," Mise said as quoted by the state-run HINA news agency.

The 41-year-old stepped in as Hajduk's acting coach in October, when Goran Vucevic quit after a series of poor results.

He becomes the 18th coach in the past seven years for Hajduk, who ended the first half of the national league season in second position, a point behind rivals Dinamo Zagreb.