Elena Sadiku has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Celtic, replacing Fran Alonso who left in December for Houston Dash; Celtic are three points behind leaders Rangers in the SWPL; Sadiku's first game is against Rangers in the Sky Sports Cup semi-final
Friday 12 January 2024 23:42, UK
Celtic Women have appointed Elena Sadiku as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
She joins from a similar role at Everton's WSL Academy and becomes the club's first female head coach, replacing Fran Alonso who departed for Houston Dash last month.
Sadiku will be assisted by interim boss David Haley and take up her new role in Glasgow on Monday, after the club's SWPL game against Montrose on Sunday.
Celtic are three points behind Rangers in the SWPL title race, and five ahead of champions Glasgow City, after 16 games - with her first game in charge a Sky Sports Cup semi-final against their Old Firm rivals on February 19.
"This is such a great day for me and my family, to join a club of Celtic's standing and stature at such an exciting time for our women's team," she said.
"It is a real honour to be given this wonderful opportunity and I can't wait to get started, particularly with so many important games coming up.
"The league in Scotland has really developed in the last few years and I've seen that the team at Celtic have had great success. My role now is to continue this, working for and with the players to achieve greater success in terms of the league and European competitions in particular.
"I also relish the chance to positively develop and grow the wider structure and environment across all our teams and academy. I will bring passion, energy and dedication to this role and I can't wait to get started."
Sadiku played for FC Rosengård, Kristianstad DFF, Eskilstuna United and Hammarby IF, plus represented Sweden at various youth age groups before she was forced to retire at the age of 23 through injury.
She has been a coach for over seven years, from setting up the girls' academy structure at Hammarby IF to coaching the Swedish champions at FC Rosengard and gaining experience in the Women's Champions League during her time at Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark.
Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson added: "Everyone at the club is delighted to welcome Elena to Celtic. Following an extensive process, Elena was identified as an outstanding appointment and someone who has the experience and profile to both deliver on the field for Celtic and also to oversee our wider development as we strive to take our women's team forwards.
"Elena has worked across Europe and beyond in a variety of roles and in different environments and we are sure Celtic will benefit from these experiences. This will be particularly helpful as we integrate the girls' teams into the wider Celtic academy and prepare for the transition into our new training complex later this year.
"We look forward to working together to build on what has been achieved in recent years."
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