Former Liverpool and Manchester City star Albert Riera has been announced as Eintracht Frankfurt’s new manager just days after the Bundesliga side were defeated by Tottenham in the final match of the Champions League league phase on Wednesday.
The German outfit has endured a challenging season and took the decision to sack their previous head coach, Dino Toppmoller, on January 18, with under-21s boss Dennis Schmitt taking temporary charge in the dugout.
But the club were delighted to announce the appointment of 43-year-old Riera as their permanent appointment, having tempted the former winger from Slovenian club Celje.
Eintracht Frankfurt will have to pay the Slovenian PrvaLiga side £1.12million in return for prising away their manager as the club sit top of the league.
But sporting director Markus Krosche will likely have been happy to do so in a bid to pin down the ‘intense’ new manager.
‘With Albert Riera, we deliberately chose a coach who stands for modern, intense, and attacking football,’ Krosche shared. ‘He has international experience, a clear playing philosophy, and an equally clear approach to his daily work with the team.
Former Bordeaux manager Albert Riera has been appointed manager at Eintracht Frankfurt
During his playing career, the winger turned out for Liverpool between 2008 and 2010
‘Albert impressed us in our discussions with his depth of expertise and his excellent communication skills. We have been following his development for a long time and are therefore convinced that his abilities, both in the current situation and in the future, harmonise well with the requirements of Eintracht Frankfurt, and that he is also a great fit for the club and our team on a personal level.’
Riera is thought to represent an uncompromising position in the dugout, having comfortably rotated through four goalkeepers during his last 62 games at Celje.
Before joining the Slovenian side – for his second stint – Riera previously managed at Bordeaux and Celje’s league rivals Olimpija Ljubljana.
In May, Riera was linked with a potential return to English soil, as Hull City mulled whether to sack Ruben Selles, with the club ultimately plumping for Sergej Jakirovic.
Riera had started his playing career at Bordeaux in 2003, two years before his 2005 move to Espanyol – which saw him complete a loan spell at Man City in 2006.
In 2008, he moved to Liverpool, where he made 56 appearances in all competitions under Rafa Benitez.
The Spain international was suspended by Benitez in 2010 after he had openly criticised the Reds boss and called Liverpool a ‘sinking ship’, and he later moved to clubs including Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Watford, Udinese, and Mallorca before hanging up his boots in 2016.
Riera will oversee his final match in the dugout at Celje on Sunday, before joining up with the Frankfurt side, and preparing for his first match in charge against Union Berlin on February 6.
