AS Saint-Étienne and Eirik Horneland are happy to formalize their collaboration. The agreement concluded with the Norwegian technician places him at the head of the Greens until 2027, with additional option. He joins the club accompanied by Hassan El Fakiri, assistant coach.
Eirik Horneland’s mission will be to use his experience gained and recognized at SK Brann (Norway) to the benefit of the team to develop a culture of performance and a style of play specific to ASSE.
Eirik Horneland’s career is strongly linked to the port city of Haugesund, located in western Norway. It was there, under the colors of Sportsklubben Vard Haugesund, that he took his first steps as a professional footballer. A defender by trade, he wore its colors for twelve years before making the short trip to Haugesund’s other club: Fotballklubben Haugesund, better known to the general public, with whom he played first on loan then from 2006 to 2009, when he ended his career at the age of 34.
Eirik Horneland then decided to move to the other side of the touchline and immediately took on responsibilities in the FK Haugesund staff alongside Jostein Grindhaug. He stayed there for almost five years before taking off and leading the Norway U19 team. After three years at the head of the selection, Eirik Horneland finally returned to FK Haugesund, this time becoming the head coach in 2016 and where he notably managed a certain Ibrahima Wadji.
Having become an established number one, Eirik Horneland took charge of Rosenborg BK, Norway’s flagship club, in 2019, where he notably coaches former Green Alexander Soderlund. He made his debut in the European Cup (Qualifying in the Champions League then Europa League) before joining SK Brann, a club that would truly change his dimension. Because he arrived in Bergen, Norway’s second city, first in an assistant role, he soon took the reins of SK in 2021. Then a resident of the second division, Brann took advantage of the work of Eirik Horneland to find the first division and do better than appear there.
For its return to the elite, Eirik Horneland’s SK Brann finished second in the championship and won the Norwegian Cup. A performance that the tactician repeated the following season, even coming close to a championship title hoped for in Bergen since 2007. Noticed, his work is notably rewarded by a title of coach of the year in 2022 and 2023. At the end of SK Brann’s last financial year, Eirik Horneland, looking for a new challenge, made the decision to leave his club. It is now in the Saint-Etienne colors that he will take his place on a bench.
Arriving this Friday in Forez, the new Saint-Etienne coach will conduct his first training session when the team resumes on December 29. As mentioned previously, Laurent Huard, Director of the Training Center, will lead the Greens for the Coupe de France match against Olympique de Marseille this Sunday.
Eirik Horneland, new ASSE coach: “It is a real honor to join a great club like AS Saint-Étienne, not only for its history and its record, but above all for the role it plays in an entire city and the fervor it generates. I can’t wait to discover the Cauldron and get to work with the players, the staff and all the components of the club. »
Ivan Gazidis, President of ASSE : « We are happy to see Eirik join the project. This is an important step. Eirik is a very talented coach, recognized and appreciated, who will bring us a lot to build a culture of performance and an assertive style of play. On behalf of all the Green People, I welcome him. »
