Pepijn Lijnders "bad sign" identified after fresh Norwich City links | OneFootball

FLW's Norwich fan pundit has given his verdict on the potential appointment of Pepijn Lijnders

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Norwich City are set to interview ex-Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders over their managerial vacancy.

According to The Telegraph, the former RB Salzburg boss is in contention to become the permanent replacement for Johannes Hoff Thorup.

Lijnders is currently out of work after departing the Austrian club in December of last year after just a few months in charge.

However, he was a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s coaching staff during his time at Anfield, with Gary O’Neil and Steve Cooper also reportedly in talks over possibly taking charge at Carrow Road.

Pepijn Lijnders to Norwich verdict

When asked about Lijnders potentially taking charge, FLW’s Norwich fan pundit Zeke Downes claimed it would be an underwhelming appointment.

He highlighted the Dutchman’s poor record at Salzburg as a concern, suggesting it’s not a move that will excite supporters.

“This is an interesting one because, although he was a highly rated assistant manager, he’s obviously won things at Liverpool and learned a lot from Klopp,” Downes told Football League World.

“The fact that he’s gone into serial winners in Salzburg, who win the league pretty much every single season, and then didn’t win the league, it’s a bit of a bad sign.

“But, he sort of suits the thinking that they’ve got at [Norwich].

“I don’t know, it doesn’t excite me very much and, judging by the response online, I don’t think it’s exciting anyone.

“It’s a big risk, and I can see why they are wanting to take the risk, because that’s the sort of manager they’re after.

“But then, seeing the other candidates that have been interviewed or sounded out in O’Neil and Steve Cooper, they’re all very different, but they’ve all got more experience than Lijnders in England, so it’s an interesting one.

“I can see us ending up with none of them, and we go for a completely different person, but Lijnders I probably would steer clear, purely because his record at Salzburg was not good at all.”

Norwich finished 13th in the Championship table, which led to Thorup’s dismissal in April with just a couple of fixtures remaining.

Lijnders appointment would be a gamble

There’s no doubt Lijnders is a smart coach given the achievements he played a role in earning during his time with Liverpool.

But the step-up to becoming the main manager is a difficult task, and there are plenty of examples of well-regarded assistants struggling in this role.

Perhaps Lijnders has what it takes to get there eventually, but it would be a big gamble by Norwich to take that chance.

O’Neil and Cooper are much safer pairs of hands, with both being able to bring Premier League managerial experience to the table, so would be the smarter choice for the time being.