Barnsley have announced the appointment of Poya Asbaghi as the club’s new head coach.
Asbaghi has joined the Sky Bet Championship side after leaving the Swedish national set-up, where he was under-21 head coach.
The 36-year-old former IFK Gothenburg boss had previously been interviewed for the position at Oakwell prior to former head coach Gerhard Struber’s arrival in November 2019.
Asbaghi began his coaching career as an assistant at Swedish third-tier side Dalkurd FF before taking over two years later.
The Iranian-born coach then moved to Gefle IF in 2017 before a two-year spell with Gothenburg, during which time he led the club to Swedish Cup glory.
Asbaghi will be joined at Oakwell by Ferran Sibila, who was his assistant at Gothenburg.
Barnsley chief executive Khaled El-Ahmad said: “We welcome Poya and Ferran to the club. Both are good people, talented coaches with a clear leadership and tactical philosophy.
“Poya was on the radar back in 2019 and as we went through our recruitment process it became clear to all parties that Poya and Ferran can take Barnsley FC forward.
“We would like to thank (caretaker manager) Jo Laumann and the first team coaching staff for their continued hard work and professionalism over the past few weeks during what has been a transitional period for the club.”
Laumann will oversee Saturday’s game at Fulham, with Asbaghi expected to take training on Monday. The Tykes are currently 23rd in the Championship and only kept off the bottom due to Derby’s points deductions.
