NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- The Chunichi Dragons will appoint Kimiyasu Kudo as their new manager, a source close to the matter said Thursday, as the Central League club bids to rebuild the team under a man with five Japan Series titles to his name at the helm of the SoftBank Hawks.

The 63-year-old, who hails from the Dragons' home prefecture of Aichi, is set to take over from Kazuki Inoue, who announced his resignation after the team went 60-81 with two ties in his second year in charge.

Several approaches have been made to Kudo this month and he has accepted the offer, Dragons club president Hiroyuki Kato told media in Nagoya.

"We asked him to 'lend his hand ahead of our club centenary (in 2036),'" Kato said. "He's a manager who knows how to win. He can inject experience and knowledge."

"We'll be having discussions (on coaching appointments), but the club will be leading them in principle."

Left-hander Kudo amassed 224 wins playing for the Seibu Lions, Daiei Hawks, Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama BayStars over 29 years before his retirement in 2010, winning the Japan Series 11 times as a player.

Kudo managed the Hawks for seven seasons from 2015 and won the Pacific League pennant three times as well as five Japan Series. He has since been working as a baseball commentator among other capacities.

The Dragons last won the CL pennant in 2011 and will finish in the bottom three in the six-team CL for the sixth straight year.