Pep Lijnders, former assistant manager to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, was dismissed by RB Salzburg less than a month before Klopp’s appointment as global head of football operations.
Lijnders joined Liverpool’s first-team staff in 2015, after a promotion from the U18 side, and stayed on when Klopp took over later that year. He remained with Liverpool until his brief and challenging stint as manager of Dutch side NEC Nijmegen in 2018. His time at NEC, much like his brief tenure at Salzburg, was marked by disappointment.
Salzburg finished second to Sturm Graz in the 2023/24 season, signaling a potential decline after ten consecutive titles. Under Lijnders, their downturn accelerated. At the time of his dismissal, Salzburg was fifth in the Austrian Bundesliga, already ten points behind the leaders.
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
Despite leading Salzburg into the group stage of the revamped Champions League, Lijnders struggled on the European stage, with the team losing five of six matches, conceding 18 goals in total.
Salzburg’s final match under Lijnders ended with a 3-0 win over Austria Klagenfurt before the winter break, but the club’s leadership had seen enough. CEO Stephan Reiter and sporting director Rouven Schroder issued a statement acknowledging the season’s disappointing results and confirmed they were seeking a new coach.
The statement read: “It was clear to see that in many of our matches we have been far short of our own requirements and aims. We have therefore become convinced that our team needs a new impulse under new management.”
Lijnders’ former boss, Jurgen Klopp, could play a role in Salzburg’s search for a new manager. Klopp, set to take over as head of global football operations for Red Bull in January 2025, had considered Lijnders as his potential successor at Liverpool this past summer. However, Liverpool ultimately appointed Arne Slot. Klopp and Lijnders now find themselves on opposite paths, with contrasting fortunes this season.