Eintracht Frankfurt have appointed BSC Young Boys coach Adi Hütter as the replacement for Bayern Munich-bound Niko Kovac.

The 48-year-old, who has won titles in Austria and Switzerland, has signed a three-year deal with the Eagles as he tackles the Bundesliga for the first time as either a player or a coach.

Title winner with Young Boys

As a player, Hütter spent his entire career in his native Austria, making over 200 Austrian Bundesliga appearances and winning three titles with SV Austria Salzburg, and he would begin his coaching career there, although by that time the club had been taken over by Red Bull and was known as Red Bull Salzburg.

After a spell in charge of their youth team, he went on to manage SCR Altach and SV Grödig, whom he guided into the Austrian top flight before they finished third the following season. He then returned to Salzburg in 2014, winning the domestic double in his only season with the club.

Since September 2015 he has been in charge of Young Boys, whom he led to two second-place finish before this season FC Basel’s stranglehold on the Swiss Super League title by bringing it back to Bern for the first time since the 1980s.

He has experience of European competition as well, with Young Boys competing in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in each of the last two years, on both occasions having dropped out of the UEFA Champions League at the play-off stage.

Bobic: “A perfect fit”

Frankfurt’s sporting CEO Fredi Bobic has described Hütter as “a perfect fit for our club.” He believe he has shown his capability of “getting the maximum out of his players through hard work, even if circumstances aren’t ideal,” and for that reason he was “always our preferred choice.”

Hütter described joining a Bundesliga club like Frankfurt as “a dream come true,” and added that, after turning down previous offers, that he’s “all the more excited to be able to work in the league of the world champions.” He also said he would “always remember my time” at Young Boys, “especially our title triumph and the incredible emotions and celebrations that followed.”

Hutter still has two more games in Switzerland, a final league match and the Swiss Cup final against FC Zürich, after which he will be officially unveiled by Frankfurt. His predecessor Kovac will also sign off at Frankfurt with a cup final, when they face Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal final in Berlin on Saturday.

Quotes via Eintracht Frankfurt.

VAVEL Logo
About the author