After Glenn Solberg´s decision to step down, the Swedish selection became Michael Apelgren. Pick Szeged´s current coach brings gold experience from his player career and prepares for a championship premiere in the role during Euro 2024.
Apelgren has already been in the coaching squad for two and a half years including three championship. As a previous assistant to Solberg, Apelgren´s namn was mentioned early when discussing possible successors. Last weekend Aftonbladet revealed that the deal was done, so the monday presentation didn’t bring any surprises in addition to the actual news.
Apelgren becomes Sweden’s 14th national team coach and starts his international duty in the during the EHF Euro Cup in November.
– I want to continue to see Sweden where we have been in recent years. We should be disappointed when we exit in a quarter-final in a championship, we should be proud when we win medals. That is my ambition and I am confident that the players share it, he says to the national team’s official website .
No names for the assistant role were presented at the moment. Apelgren takes on a double job with a four-year contract with the men’s national team.
– It has been an intensive and important process where a sustainable and long-term solution has been the primary thing, while at the same time we have had to deal with the fact that we have the national team gathering in November and the WC in January. Michael was an obvious candidate based on the experience he has gathered in the national team operations, he knows the association as well as players and leaders and has the top qualities that we want from an association captain.
– We are happy that we have been able to have a good dialogue with him and OTP Bank-Pick Szeged where we have found a solution that benefits the club, Michael and the national team both in the short and long term, says national team manager Hanna Fogelström to handbollslandslaget.se.