Former Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson has landed a surprise new managerial role, with the 43-year-old appointed as interim head coach of Belgian club Lommel SK.
Johnson, who spent a portion of his playing career in the West Country, took charge of the Reds between 2016 and 2020. Although the former midfielder was never quite able to lead the Robins to a play-off finish, he brought City as close to the top six as they had been since his father Gary’s time at Ashton Gate while also leading the run to the Carabao Cup semi-final in the 2017/18 season.
Following a run of four successive defeats, which culminated in a Severnside derby loss to Cardiff City at Ashton Gate, City opted to make a change in the dugout and relieve the then 39-year-old of his duties, ending his four-year spell in BS3 in the summer of 2020.
Later that year, Johnson took over the reins at Sunderland. He spent just over a year at the Stadium of Light and lifted the EFL Trophy with the Black Cats but was replaced by Alex Neil who managed to win promotion back to the Championship that season. Spells at Hibernian and Fleetwood followed before the former City boss spent some time coaching with the City Football Group last summer.
After just over a year out of management, Johnson is now back in the dugout as the interim head coach of Lommel SK. The Belgian side currently sit 13th in the Belgian Challenger Pro League, the second tier, and with six games left of the season they are six points clear of the relegation zone.
Although it seems like a surprising move for the 43-year-old who has never managed outside of the United Kingdom, it is a challenge that the former Robins head coach is relishing.
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“I am extremely happy to become the interim head coach of this club and can’t wait to get started,” Johnson said while discussing his appointment. “This is a talented group of players and together with our technical staff I want to improve our performances as individuals and as a team.”
On the move, James McCarron, the club’s sporting director said: “Lee has had a long career in both England and Scotland. He has worked at major clubs and knows the ropes. We are convinced that a coach of his calibre is exactly what we need now.
“We are very grateful to Ryan Garry for temporarily taking on the responsibility as interim head coach and are happy that he is returning to his role as assistant coach. We would also like to thank Kristof Van Hout for his dedication and passion in the role of assistant coach. Kristof will continue as assistant coach of the first team.”
Lommel SK are next in action this Saturday when they travel to Zalte Waregem who currently top the Belgian Challenger Pro Lague after 22 matches.