Former Premier League defender takes charge of MLS team

On By Littum

St Louis City’s long wait for a new head coach may finally be over.

Former Aston Villa and Sweden defender Olof Mellberg is reportedly close to taking charge of the club. St. Louis has been without a permanent head coach since Bradley Carnell was fired back in Julyleaving interim boss John Hackworth to oversee the final months of the season.

Mellberg, now 47, is currently the manager of the Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna but his current deal expires on December 2. Sweden is one of the few European leagues that follow the calendar year schedule.

During his first spell with Brommapojkarna, Mellberg led the team to back-to-back promotions, taking them back into the top tier of Swedish football. He also gained coaching experience Forward Amager in Denmark and Helsingborg’s.

Which teams did Olof Mellberg play for?

Now ten years into his managerial career, Mellberg is still better known for his achievements on the pitch. Mellberg represented a robust, yet composed defender Degerfors IF and AIK in his home country before moving to Spanish Racing Santander.

After impressing in LaLiga, he moved to Aston Villa and spent eight years in the Premier Leaguegets cult status in Villa Park. In 2008, he was snapped up by Italian giants Juventus but left Turin after just one season.

Mellberg went on to spend three years with Olympiakosand won two Greek Super League titles before ending his career with spells at Villarreal and Copenhagen.

He played 117 caps for Sweden and represented his nation at two World Cups and two European Championships. He was named player of the year in Sweden in 2003, but was a sometimes controversial figure for the national team. In 2002 he battled with teammate Freddie Ljungberg during an open practice session, forcing other players to separate them.

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