Johan Lange (football executive)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Johan Lange | ||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Copenhagen, Demark | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa (Sporting Director) | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2008-2012 | FC Copenhagen (Assistant) | ||
| 2012-2013 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (Assistant) | ||
| 2013 | Lyngby Boldklub | ||
| 2014-2020 | FC Copenhagen (Technical Director) | ||
| 2020- | Aston Villa (Sporting Director) | ||
Johan Lange (born 22 November 1979) is a Danish professional football manager and coach, who is currently the Sporting Director of Aston Villa.[1]
Coaching career
Lange started his coaching career at Danish Superliga side FC Copenhagen, working as their assistant manager for three and a half years, before departing on 30 June 2012 to join EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers as assistant manager to Ståle Solbakken.[2]
On 5 January 2013, following a string a poor results, which left Wolves 18th in the Championship - and a FA Cup defeat to non-league Luton Town, Solbakken and his backroom staff were sacked.[3]
On 2 February 2013, Lange was hired as head coach of Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish 1st Division.[4]
Transition into other roles
In 2014, Lange was reunited with Solbakken, as he rejoined FC Copenhagen as Development Director, the role changing to Technical Director within the same season.[5] In this role he became known for his apparent knack of signing players for a low cost, then later selling them at great profit to Europe's elite clubs, all whilst FC Copenhagen continued to win trophies domestically and compete in the UEFA Champions League.[6]
On 30 July 2020, Lange joined Premier League team Aston Villa as Sporting Director.[7] Following Aston Villa's survival from relegation the previous season, and subsequent departure of Jesus Garcia Pitarch as Sporting Director, Lange was tasked with helping build a team that would challenge at the top half of the Premier League, rather than battle against relegation.[8]
References
- ^ "Aston Villa Announces Hiring of Johan Lange As Sporting Director". Aston Villa Official Site. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Johan Lange to join Ståle Solbakken at Wolves". Shropshire Star. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Stale Solbakken sacked by Wolves". Express & Star. 5 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Lyngby bekræfter ny træner". Bold.dk. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "JOHAN LANGE UDVIKLINGSCHEF I F.C. KØBENHAVN". FC Kobenhavn Official Site. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ Bate, Adam (11 February 2020). "FC Copenhagen's transfer triumphs: Johan Lange explains their success". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (30 July 2020). "Aston Villa appoint Johan Lange as new sporting director". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Aston Villa target top-half finish as Johan Lange takes sporting director role". Four Four Two. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
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