Liverpool’s assistant manager, Pepijn Lijnders, has been appointed as RB Salzburg head coach, agreeing to manage the Austrian side for three seasons, taking the helm of affairs of the club starting from the 2024/25 pre-season.
According to the club, Lijnders arrived in Salzburg along with Vitor Matos, who will work as his assistant coach. The 36-year-old Matos has worked with Lijnders for many years at Porto and Liverpool.
Pep Lijnders, through his renowned experience at various levels of a number of top European clubs, has been, among others, head coach at NEC Nijmegen, a youth coach at PSV Eindhoven and FC Porto, an academy coach at the Reds, as well as an assistant coach at Liverpool for many years, including during their 2018/19 UEFA Champions League win and 2019/20 league title-winning campaign.
Views:
“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.”
RB Salzburg Sporting director Bernhard Seonbuchner said, “I’m proud to become the new head coach of FC Red Bull Salzburg, and it’s a real privilege for me to be here. After PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto, and Liverpool, I am joining another beautiful club with a strong structure and an even better academy. All of the clubs I’ve been at have been unique, remarkable clubs with a few particular things in common: a one-club mentality where the attack is very important, a true belief to win major trophies, and, above all, clubs where passion for the game and ambition to succeed are the base of everything.”
Lijnders, on his appointment with the Austrian champions, said, “Together with my assistant, Vitor Matos, we will do our best to help the club grow in a football world that is ever-changing. My family have visited the city before and were overwhelmed by its beauty and by the kindness of the people. This was the final, important step for me to decide to join FC Red Bull Salzburg.”
