Red Bull Salzburg have sacked manager Pep Lijnders after 16 games in the Austrian Bundesliga, saying Jurgen Klopp’s assistant at Liverpool had overseen performances “well below our own requirements and targets”.
Dutchman Lijnders was appointed in May after six years in his second spell at Anfield and has guided Salzburg to a Champions League spot via two qualifying ties, as well as winning their first three league games in charge.
Salzburg won three and lost six of their 12 games in October and November and are on course for automatic Champions League elimination, having lost five and won one of their first six games in Europe.
OFFICIAL: FC Red Bull Salzburg and Pepijn Lijnder part ways, the 41-year-old Dutchman has been released from his duties today. Thanks for your commitment and all the best for the future, Pep!
— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) December 16, 2024
“We have recently started analyzing, as planned, what has unfortunately not been a satisfactory season so far,” Salzburg said in a statement, adding that they hope to have a new manager in place when their players resume training on January 3.
“It was clear that, in many of our matches, we were very far from our own requirements and goals. Therefore, we are convinced that our team needs a new boost under the new management, even if we kept hoping for a turnaround until the end.
“We would like to thank Pep for his work. He put a lot of effort and passion into it and gave a significant boost to our further development. Now we are looking very intensively for a new coach.”
More to come
