December 9 – Club Brugge have fired Nick Hayen following a string of disappointing results, culminating in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of STVV on Saturday.
Ivan Leko will succeed Hayen, the club confirmed. In a statement, Brugge wrote: “The club would like to sincerely thank Nicky Hayen for his hard work in the past period and wishes him all the best for the future.”
Leko, a Croatian, previously both played for and managed Club Brugge. As a coach, he won the title and the super cup between 2017 and 2019. He joins from local rivals KAA Gent.
In 2024, Hayen had taken over from Norwegian manager Ronny Delia and led Brugge to the league title. Last season, the then Belgian champions impressed in the Champions League, reaching the second round, but in the current campaign Brugge have been struggling. They got just three points from their last four domestic league matches and, in third, trail league leaders Union by five points.
In Europe, the Belgians at first impressed with a 4-1 win against AS Monaco and a 3-3 draw against FC Barcelona before falling to both Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon.
At their dilapidated Jan Breydel Stadion, Leko will lead Brugge against Arsenal on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]