Yesterday, rumors began to spread about who will be Aalborg’s new head coach, with Maik Machalla being the first mentioned. Now, a Danish newspaper, Nordjyske, reports that sports director Jan Larsen has a list of candidates ready for the job.
With Aalborg’s greatest coach of all time leaving, Jan Larsen is in a tough position to find his replacement. According Nordjyske and RTHandball, there are few news namnes on that list that seem closer to the position than others.
Glenn Solberg
Solberg joined the Swedish men’s national team in March 2020 and has since managed to secure a European Championship gold, a World Championship silver, and a European Championship bronze. Prior to the European Championship in Germany, the national team coach signed a new contract extending until the summer of 2026. This means that Aalborg will need to reach an agreement with the Swedish Handball Federation either to buy him out or to allow Solberg to work for both teams.
Magnus Andersson
Magnus Andersson is currently without a club after having been the head coach of FC Porto for five seasons. Therefore, it would be an easier option for Aalborg to resolve. Andersson has coached in Denmark before as he was the head coach for FC Copenhagen for five years before they transitioned into AG Copenhagen, which later went bankrupt.
Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson
VFL Gummersbach’s head coach is one of the names on the list. He is now under contract with the German club until the summer of 2025. He was named coach of the season in Bundesliga 2022/23 and currently has Gummersbach in a position to compete for a spot in the European League in their second season back in the Bundesliga.
Kristian Kjelling
Kjelling is currently under contract with Drammen HK, his first team as a head coach, until the summer of 2025. He was one of the candidates to coach the Norwegian men’s national team in the spring of 2022 but later lost that race to Jonas Wille. This could be the opportunity for Kjelling to take the next step in his coaching career by potentially joining Aalborg.
Ljubomir Vranjes
Aside from his sensational career, Vranjes has also accomplished significant coaching roles. He is currently the sporting director of Flensburg-Handewitt but has been the head coach for teams such as the Slovenian national team, Flensburg, and most recently, Nimes.
Who exactly that will take spot is not know, but it’s fair to say that Jan Larsen has some great alternatives to choose from.