Pep Lijnders may make a comeback to English football, as Jürgen Klopp’s former assistant is scheduled for an interview.
A year after departing Liverpool alongside then-manager Jürgen Klopp, Pep Lijnders is being considered for a return to English football.
On this day last year, the Dutch coach took the reins at Red Bull Salzburg, marking his second stint as a head coach following a brief tenure at NEC Nijmegen in 2018. However, his time in Austria fell short of expectations. He was dismissed just before Christmas after managing only 29 matches. At the time of his departure, Salzburg trailed the league leaders by 10 points—despite their dominance in the Austrian Bundesliga in previous seasons—and had made an early exit from the Champions League.
Despite that setback, Lijnders is now in contention for the vacant manager role at Norwich City, according to The Telegraph.
Lijnders set for Norwich talks
The former Liverpool assistant is expected to meet with Norwich’s decision-makers this week following the sacking of Johannes Hoff Thorup.
Others reportedly considered for the role include Gary O’Neil, a former under-23s coach at Liverpool who’s since gained Premier League experience, and Steve Cooper, previously in charge at Nottingham Forest and Leicester City.
Can Lijnders guide Norwich back to the top flight?
Although Lijnders enjoyed a successful spell as Klopp’s assistant, his managerial record is mixed. Both of his head coaching roles—at NEC and Salzburg—ended prematurely, and clubs in the Championship are known for quickly moving on if expectations aren’t met.
Still, a win rate of nearly 50% (24 wins in 50 matches) isn’t poor, and his experience managing in the Champions League could be a valuable asset, even if his results there were modest.
Since being relegated from the Premier League three years ago, Norwich have twice finished mid-table, with a single play-off run ending in a heavy loss to Leeds. The club’s supporters are eager for a manager who can restore their promotion ambitions.
Lijnders might not land the Norwich job, but being shortlisted shows he’s still in the conversation for high-level roles. A fresh opportunity could be just around the corner—whether in Norfolk or elsewhere.
