Brighton and Hove Albion have appointed the former Bayern Munich boss Jens Scheuer as their women’s head coach on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The Seagulls have been without a manager since October when Hope Powell stepped down after a poor start to the Women’s Super League season.
Amy Merricks stepped in as interim boss but the team are currently one place above the relegation zone with just seven points from eight games.
Their last game, at the start of this month, was their fifth defeat of the campaign. They were beaten 3-1 by Manchester City.
Scheuer, who joins the club subject to receiving a work permit, has plenty of experience in women’s football.
He previously coached at Bayern and Freiburg, winning the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2021 with Bayern.
The 44-year-old told Albion’s website: “It’s a great feeling. I’m very excited to work for the team and the club. The facilities are the best I have ever seen.
“I had good talks with (technical director) David Weir. The first time we spoke it was clear for me that I wanted to come here and build a team which can grow and move up the table. I’m very excited for the future and can’t wait to get started.”
Women’s chair Michelle Walder said: “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Jens as our new head coach of the women’s team.
“He has great experience at the very top level of women’s football in Europe, winning the Bundesliga in 2021 at Bayern Munich.
“He consistently finished in the top two during his three seasons there and guided them to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2021.
“Jens was our number one target from the start and the process was similar to the one we recently undertook when appointing Roberto de Zerbi as men’s head coach.
“The excellent results during Amy Merricks’s time as interim coach and having the winter break took some of the time pressure off us and allowed us to go through a thorough process which reaffirmed Jens as our first choice.”
Scheuer’s first game in charge will be on Sunday 15 January away to bottom side Leicester who have yet to pick up a point this season.
