Eintracht Frankfurt hires Spanish coach Albert Riera from Slovenian league leader

Eintracht Frankfurt has convinced Spanish coach Albert Riera to leave Slovenian league leader NK Celje and take over as head coach. The 43-year-old Riera will take charge on Monday after agreeing on a contract through June 2028, the Bundesliga club said on Friday. Riera succeeds Dino Toppmöller, who was fired on January 18 after a winless run of four games. The streak has extended to seven games. Frankfurt lost its three matches under Dennis Schmitt, the under-21s coach who took over on an interim basis. Schmitt will remain in charge for Bayer Leverkusen's visit on Sunday. Frankfurt said Riera specifically asked to remain Celje coach for one more game against Maribor on Sunday. Celje, based in the northeast of Slovenia, has a 12-point lead in the league, while Riera also helped the team reach the UEFA Conference League knockout phase playoffs. Riera's first job as coach was also in Slovenia, at Olimpija Ljubljana, which he led to a league and cup double in 2023. He then joined Celje, but left with the team on top of the league to join Bordeaux. He returned to Celje in 2024. As a player, Riera was a left back/winger for Mallorca, Bordeaux, Espanyol, Liverpool, Olympiakos, Galatasaray and others. He also had a loan spell at Manchester City. He ended his career in Slovenia. Riera also made 16 appearances for Spain. At Frankfurt, Riera's first job will be to fix the team's leaky defense. Frankfurt conceded three goals in all five games it played this year until last week's 2-0 loss to Tottenham in the Champions League. Frankfurt was already eliminated at that stage. ''We have deliberately decided on a coach who plays modern, intensive and attacking football,'' Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche said. ''He has international experience, a clear playing philosophy and an equally clear approach in his day-to-day work with the team.'' Pablo Remon Arteta and Lorenzo Dolcetti were also joining as assistants to Riera after their last game with Celje. AP SSC SSC