Bo Svensson is Union Berlin's new head coach heading into the 2024/25 season. - © Lukas Schulze/Bundesliga

bundesliga

Union Berlin appoint Bo Svensson as head coach

23.05.2024

Union Berlin have appointed Bo Svensson as their new head coach for the upcoming 2024/25 Bundesliga season.

The 44-year-old Dane takes over from Nenad Bjelica, who himself replaced long-term boss Urs Fischer in November last year.

After a superb 2022/23 campaign in which they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever, Union struggled in the recently ended season and only secured their top-flight survival on the final day with a 2-1 win over Freiburg.

Watch: Union survive on Matchday 34

“We’ve decided on a new sporting start in the summer and are convinced that Bo Svensson is a coach who is a good fit to our club,” said club president Dirk Zingler. "I'm looking forward to working with him and I'm sure that together with the team he can ensure that we play a good role in the Bundesliga.”

Svensson, a three-time Denmark international in his playing days, made 33 appearances for Borussia Mönchengladbach and a further 122 for Mainz before hanging up his boots in 2014

Watch: Svensson's tactics at Mainz

“I've been watching Union for a long time and I'm sure I'll find good conditions here for successful work,” said Svensson in a club statement. “The unity that Union radiate, and the togetherness between the team, fans, staff and club management, is a very important factor. I'm looking forward to the road ahead of us and will do everything I can to ensure that we have a successful season."

Svensson was a youth coach at Mainz between 2017-2019, and following a two-year spell in charge of FC Liefering in Austria, he was named as Mainz head coach in January 2021. After steering the club to 12th, eighth and ninth-placed finishes, he resigned in November 2023 following a winless start in the team’s first nine games.