Carlos Corberan resigns as Huddersfield head coach

Huddersfield Town v Barnsley – Sky Bet Championship – John Smith’s Stadium
(Image credit: Richard Sellers)

Huddersfield head coach Carlos Corberan has resigned from his role.

Spaniard Corberan, who guided the Terriers to the play-off final last season, met with head of football operations Leigh Bromby on Wednesday night before quitting his post, with assistant Jorge Alarcon also leaving the club.

A club statement read: “Huddersfield Town can confirm that Carlos Corberan has today resigned from his position as head coach.

“The 39-year-old was appointed to the role in July 2020 and, following a 20th-place finish in his first season, coached the team to the Sky Bet Championship play-off final in the last campaign.

“However, he notified the club of his decision to leave, alongside his long-term colleague Jorge Alarcon, on Wednesday evening.”

Huddersfield confirmed Danny Schofield has been appointed as the club’s new head coach.

The Terriers have not revealed whether Corberan, who had previously worked as assistant to former Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa, had received an offer from another club.

Danny Schofield has taken over the head coach's reins from Carlos Corberan

Danny Schofield, pictured, has taken over the head coach’s reins from Carlos Corberan (Simon Marper/PA)

Bromby said: “It is with sadness that we have accepted Carlos’ resignation. He was obviously a big part of what was a fantastic season in 2021/22, but he has subsequently come to us over the last 24 hours and made it clear that he doesn’t think he is the man to take us forward.

“The timing is disappointing, with our preparations for the new season already under way.

“Danny Schofield will now step up to lead the team. He knows the club, the players, our coaching programme, and our structure as well as anyone and is ideally positioned to give us continuity.”

Corberan took on the role of head coach for the first time when he succeeded Danny Cowley at the John Smith’s Stadium after ending his three-year spell as a coach at Leeds.

Huddersfield lost out to Nottingham Forest in the Championship play-off final in May

Huddersfield lost out to Nottingham Forest in the Championship play-off final in May (John Walton/PA)

The Terriers, relegated from the Premier League in 2019, struggled in Corberan’s first season, surviving a second successive brush with relegation to the third tier.

But following a successful recruitment drive in the summer of 2021, Corberan guided the club to a third-placed finish last season.

The Terriers beat Luton in the play-off semi-finals, but lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the Wembley final.

Corberan later released a statement on Twitter, saying his departure had been “a difficult decision but one I gave a lot of thought to and have made based on my great affection for this club”.

Corberan guided Huddersfield to the Championship play-off final last season

Corberan guided Huddersfield to the Championship play-off final last season (Nick Potts/PA)

He added: “As a coach my approach to my work is based exclusively on the strongest commitment to and utmost alignment with the policy of the club I’m serving because that is the only way to ensure the dedication required to manage a football team.

“Leading this club over the past two seasons has been a pleasure and made me feel extremely proud.

“However, I have the utmost respect for everyone at this club and its supporters and that is why I feel the need for us to end our relationship.

“There are times in life when the most honest thing to do is to step aside on amicable terms in the best interests of both parties.”