Middlesbrough Appoints Kim Hellberg as New Head Coach

Middlesbrough Football Club has announced the appointment of Kim Hellberg as their new head coach. The 37-year-old Swedish coach, who previously managed Hammarby IF, will succeed Rob Edwards, who recently moved to Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This marks Hellberg’s first coaching position outside of Sweden, although he was previously in discussions with Championship rivals Swansea City. Hellberg is set to officially take charge later this week, while Adi Viveash will remain in interim management for the upcoming home match against Championship leaders Coventry City.

Currently, Middlesbrough sits in second place in the league, trailing the Sky Blues by seven points and having lost only two out of their sixteen league matches this season.

This is Boro’s second managerial change within five months, following Edwards’ departure just 14 games into his tenure. Hellberg arrives at Middlesbrough after a successful two-year spell with Hammarby, where he led the club to consecutive runners-up finishes in Sweden’s Allsvenskan.

Having played in the lower leagues in Sweden, Hellberg began his coaching career with Kuddby IF before moving to IF Sylvia and then to top-tier club IFK Norrköping in 2020. His first head coaching appointment in the Allsvenskan was with IFK Värnamo, where his impressive performance paved the way for his move to Hammarby.

“A lot of things make Boro the perfect choice for me,” Hellberg stated. “The way they play and want to play, combined with the crowd, aligns with my coaching philosophy.”

He will be joined at Teesside by his assistant, David Selini, while Viveash will continue as part of the coaching staff.

Although not widely known in English football circles, Middlesbrough’s director of football, Kieran Scott, has been closely monitoring Hellberg’s progress at Hammarby. Scott expressed confidence in Hellberg’s potential, noting, “Kim is someone I’ve been observing for some time. He is recognized as an emerging head coach in European football who has been performing exceptionally well at Hammarby.”

In the wake of Hellberg’s departure, ex-Wolverhampton first-team coach Ian Burchnall is a frontrunner to take over at Hammarby. Burchnall, who has experience managing in Scandinavia, recently worked with the Jamaican national team under Steve McClaren during their World Cup qualifying campaign.