Former Liverpool man Albert Riera (43) now leading candidate for Eintracht Frankfurt head coaching job | OneFootball

Sport Bild and Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg are reporting in tandem that Eintracht Frankfurt have selected Albert Riera as their next head coach. The former Spanish international currently coaches Slovenian first division outfit NK Celje. Riera has mostly coached in Slovenia since retiring from professional football, but also worked the Girons de Bordeaux bench during the 2023/24 Ligue 2 campaign. 

Albert Riera brings with him a winning track record

During both his first stint as Celje head coach and his year in charge of Slovenia’s Olimpia Ljubjaha, Riera won over 60 percent of his fixtures in charge. Riera also led Bordeaux to a respectable 12th place finish during his year in the French second division, departing Bordeaux only due to the fact that the club was administratively relegated to the French fourth division. 

Riera never played in Germany

The choice counts as quite the curious one given that German clubs are usually heavily predisposed to hiring coaches who do not speak German. Riera’s long journeyman playing career led him to many different countries, including Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey, France, Slovenia, and England. The former Man City, Liverpool, and Watford man nevertheless never plied his trade in the Bundesrepublik. 

Could the rumors be false?

Many other German footballing publications haven’t corroborated the rumors yet. Plettenberg, it should be emphasized, only lists Riera as a “leading candidate”. The fact that Riera’s German may be minimal doesn’t necessarily disqualify him. A firm grip on the English language – which Riera has – can prove sufficient for a Bundesliga job. 

Eintracht claim to be in the “home stretch” of installing their new head coach. Plettenberg reports that Copenhagen’s refusal to release Jacob Neestrup from his contract renders Riera the top choice. The other Scandinavian linked with the SGE position, Kjetil Knutsen is being lined up as the top alternative should Celje not release Riera from his contract. 

GGFN | Peter Weis