During the international break, Middlesbrough said goodbye to Rob Edwards. Well, not with a pat on the back. Edwards was in his fifth month as manager, second in the table after 15 games showed course for promotion to the Premier League. Then came Wolverhampton, offered the 42-year-old direct Premier League games and brought Edwards to Molineux. Now Boro are responding by buying Championship rival Swansea’s signing of a Swedish up-and-coming coach.
Not heard of Kim Hellberg, you say? Perhaps not so strange, the former Dagsberg IF player has spent the first part of his coaching career leading Kimstad GoIF, Kuddby IF, IF Sylvia and IFK Värnämo. Since 2024, the young coach (37) has led Hammarby with great success.
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Swansea had “found” the coach, reportedly made Hellberg their top priority for the vacant coaching position in Wales. The parties are even said to have had conversations where the personal terms of a potential deal were discussed. Then came Boro. On Monday, it was an enthusiastic Hellberg who had just signed for the promotion candidate, where the buyout clause at Hammarby of around SEK 3 million was activated.
-I am very happy to have been appointed Boro’s head coach and am very proud to be here. Many things make Boro the perfect move for me. The way they play, want to play and are connected to the fans suits me and the way I want to work,” Hellberg says to the club’s website.
Read F7: Talk about a super week for Ødegaard!
We wish the Swede the best of luck on his journey!
