Ex-Walsall head coach Mat Sadler takes assistant role at Lommel in Belgium | OneFootball

Mat Sadler, the former Walsall head coach, has been appointed assistant coach at Belgian club Lommel SK.

According to ExpressAndStar.com, Sadler has taken up the role on a one-year deal with immediate effect.

He had spent three years on Walsall's coaching staff, then replaced Michael Flynn as head coach in May 2023. He was dismissed in March after a run of only two wins in his final 14 league matches, concluding more than two-and-a-half years at Bescot.

Walsall finished 11th in his first season in 2023-24. The following campaign they were top by Christmas, helped by a club-record streak of nine successive league victories, and in 2024 reached the League Cup third round for the first time in nine years.

They eventually slipped to 13th, first under Sadler then under interim boss Darren Byfield.

In total, Sadler oversaw 161 matches, returning a 41.6 per cent win rate with 67 wins, 42 draws and 52 defeats. He was the club's longest-serving boss since Dean Smith, who spent nearly five years in charge.

Lommel are owned by City Football Group, who also own Manchester City. They returned to the Belgian top flight last season via the play-offs after a 23-year absence. This appointment is the first time Sadler has worked abroad in his playing or managerial career.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com