Poya Asbaghi has been confirmed as Barnsley’s new head coach.
Asbaghi will be joined by his former IFK Göteborg assistant Ferran Sibila.
Markus Schopp was sacked after seven consecutive defeats and just one win in 15 league matches.
Barnsley Appoint Poya Asbaghi
🤝 Welcome, Poya!
— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) November 17, 2021
Club reaction
Barnsley chief executive Khaled El-Ahmad said: “We welcome Poya and Ferran to the Club. Both are good people, talented coaches with a clear leadership and tactical philosophy.
“Poya was on the radar back in 2019 and as we went through our recruitment process it became clear to all parties that Poya and Ferran can take Barnsley FC forward.
“We would like to thank Jo Laumann and the first team coaching staff for their continued hard work and professionalism over the past few weeks during what has been a transitional period for the club.”
Management History
At just 36-years-old, Asbaghi is the second youngest Championship head coach, with the most junior being Swansea City’s Russell Martin.
Asbaghi began his coaching career at Swedish side Dalkurd FF in 2014 when he was appointed assistant manager. Two years later, he made the jump to manager and stayed in the position till May 2017.
That same month, he moved to fellow Swedish team Gefle IF where he stayed until the end of 2017. IFK Göteborg, one of the biggest clubs in the Nordic region, came calling and appointed Asbaghi in the new year.
The Iranian-born coach stayed at Göteborg for two years between 2018 and 2020. His biggest achievement came in the Svenska Cupen final against Malmö FF. A goal in the 84th minute and the 94th minute stole the trophy from Malmö’s grasp and gave Göteborg their eighth Svenska Cupen.
Asbaghi left IFK in September 2020 and moved on to coaching the Swedish U21 setup months later. He won six of his ten matches in the role and left his team top of Group F.
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