Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders appointed Salzburg boss
The Dutchman has been a key assistant to Jurgen Klopp over the last six years
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders will take charge of Red Bull Salzburg next season.
The Dutchman, who has had two spells at Anfield and has been Jurgen Klopp’s No 2 for the last six years, had already announced he would leave Liverpool in the summer and has now confirmed he will move to Austria.
Salzburg, who are currently second in the Austrian Bundesliga but who could win a 12th consecutive title on Sunday, sacked their previous manager Gerhard Struber last month.
Lijnders, whose only previous spell as a manager was a four-month stint with Zwolle in his native Netherlands in 2018, will take Vitor Matos, another of Klopp’s backroom staff, with him.
“I am very proud to become the new head coach of FC Red Bull Salzburg,” he said. “This is a real privilege for me. After PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto and Liverpool FC, I am now moving to another exceptional club with a really good structure and a particular focus on youth development.
“I want to develop a mentality with the team that places a lot of emphasis on attacking style of play and where passion and hunger for success are the basis of everything.
“Together with my assistant coach Vitor Matos and the entire support team, we will do our best to help the club continue to grow in an ever-changing football world.
“My family has visited the city before and was overwhelmed by its beauty and the friendliness of the people. That was the last and important step for me in choosing FC Red Bull Salzburg.”
Lijnders, who has signed a three-year deal with Salzburg, helped Liverpool win the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Salzburg sporting director Bernhard Seonbuchner said: “We have been able to get an ideal candidate for the coaching position at FC Red Bull Salzburg in Pepijn Lijnders.
“He is a real football expert and has been a huge influence on a very successful time for Liverpool with his qualities in developing players.
“The discussions with him were a great success, and there was a clear agreement on the way we want to play, what we are about as a club, and where we want to go together.
“We are really looking forward to our time with him, but we will do everything we can to take the current season to a successful end first.”
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