Lion City Sailors have hired former Ulsan Hyundai head honcho Kim Do-hoon as the club’s new head coach.
Kim, who led Ulsan Hyundai to victory in the Asian Football Confederation’s AFC Champions League (ACL) in 2020, joins the Sailors on a two-and-a-half year deal.
He is expected to officially link up with the team in June.
The former South Korean international will step into the role vacated by Australian Aurelio Vidmar, who left the Sailors in April.
“I am delighted to be joining the Lion City Sailors. It’s hugely exciting to be part of such an ambitious project – the club has aspirations of becoming one of the top teams in the region, and I’m confident of delivering that success to the Sailors,” said Kim.
“Before anything, however, I would like to thank Aurelio for the solid groundwork that he has put in place.
“The Sailors boast a very talented squad, and the team has been playing exciting attacking football over the past year or so. I intend to build on that, and bring this team to the next level.”
Kim left Ulsan last December after four years in charge of the club.
While there, he was known for playing a possession-based style of football that focused on ball retention and attacking at pace.
The 50-year-old previously managed Incheon United from 2015 to 2016 before joining Ulsan.
Under Kim, Ulsan won their first-ever Korean FA Cup in 2017, and also consistently challenged for the league title – they finished second in both the 2019 and 2020 season.
Sailors winger Gabriel Quak welcomed the appointment of Kim, and expressed his excitement at the prospect of working under such an esteemed coach.
“It’s always great to be working under someone as knowledgeable and experienced as coach Kim,” said Quak.
“He has achieved great success with Ulsan, and we are all excited for him to help us develop individually and as a team.”
Photos: Lion City Sailors