New coach is here

Fixed: Pep Lijnders takes over at Red Bull Salzburg

Pep Lijnders takes over at Red Bull Salzburg.(Bild: Red Bull Salzburg)

What the "Krone" already reported on Tuesday is now fixed! Red Bull Salzburg has found a new coach for the 2024/25 season in Pepijn Lijnders. As the club from Mozartstadt officially announced on Wednesday, the Dutchman will take the helm of the Austrian serial champions.

"Pep Lijnders has signed a three-year contract with FC Red Bull Salzburg and will take over the team at the start of the 2024/25 preparations," the Bulls announced in a press release.

Assistant coach under Klopp
Lijnders has worked as assistant coach under Jürgen Klopp at English top club Liverpool since 2015, and the 41-year-old's CV also includes spells at NEC Nijmegen, FC Porto and PSV Eindhoven.

Pepijn Lijnders on his arrival in Salzburg.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

"With Pepijn Lijnders, we were able to win our absolute dream candidate for the coaching position at FC Red Bull Salzburg. He is an outstanding soccer expert and has helped shape a very successful time at Liverpool FC, not least due to his qualities in developing players. The discussions with him were excellent and there was a great deal of agreement on the way we present ourselves, what we represent as a club and where we want to go together. We are therefore very much looking forward to our time together with him, but will now once again do everything we can to bring the current season to a successful conclusion," said Salzburg's sporting director Bernhard Seonbuchner.

"Overwhelmed by the friendliness"
Lijnders himself is also full of enthusiasm for his new role: "I want to develop a mentality with the team that places a lot of emphasis on attacking play and where passion and a hunger for success are the basis of everything. Together with my assistant coach Vitor Matos and the entire coaching team, we will do our best to help the club continue to grow in an ever-changing soccer world." His family had already visited the city once and were overwhelmed by its beauty and the friendliness of the people, the new coach continued. "That was the final and important step for me in deciding to join FC Red Bull Salzburg."

Lijnders takes over from Onur Cinel, who had taken over as interim coach at Wals-Siezenheim following the departure of Gerhard Struber.