Beijing Guoan Hire Ex-Leverkusen Boss Roger Schmidt as New Coach
By Justine Lopez
Last week Beijing Guoan offered Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim an annual salary of EUR12 million to manage the team. However, the club has now gone in an entirely different direction.
It has now been confirmed that ex-Leverkusen manager Roger Schmidt has officially been hired to be the head coach of Beijing Guoan.
"We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Roger Schmidt as head coach of Beijing Guoan Football Club," the club announced via official social media accounts. "The agreement is for a two-and-a-half-year contract. After two months of communication, the club believes Mr Schmidt has an advanced football concept, a rigorous work ethic and is good at encouraging and developing young players, which matches the club's needs perfectly. We believe his arrival will give the club new energy and will lead the team to a higher position."
The club was formerly headed by Jose Gonzalez, who was let go earlier this month after the team fell to seventh place. Beijing Guoan are currently 16 points behind Guangzhou Evergrande and 10 points behind Hebei CFFC, the league's final berth in the 2018 Asian Champions League.
Schmidt will start his new gig on July 1.
[Image via ESPN FC]
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