Eintracht Frankfurt manager and former Bayern defender, Niko Kovac will be the next coach of Bayern Munich, he will replace interim coach Jupp Heynckes, who plans to retire at the end of the season. “Niko Kovac will be the new coach of FC Bayern from 1 July, 2018,” said sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. “We agreed on a three-year contract yesterday.
Niko was a Bayern player, he knows the people in charge as well as the structure and the club’s DNA. We are convinced he is the right coach for the future of Bayern.”
The 46-year-old, who had a long playing career in the Bundesliga, was at Bayern between 2001-03. Kovac, who won 83 caps for Croatia but was born in Berlin, has been in charge of Eintracht Frankfurt since 2016.
The decision in favour of Kovac marks a turn for success-driven Bayern, who had previously opted for big-name coaches including Champions League winners Heynckes, Louis van Gaal and Pep Guardiola.
After retiring Kovac was briefly an assistant coach in Austria and took over Croatia before signing with relegation-threatened Eintracht in 2016 and turning them into Champions League contenders this season.
Meanwhile, Bayern have also confirmed that wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are in talks over securing extended stays in Bavaria after discussions on Thursday. “We will have news in the next days,” Salihamidzic said.
