Erwin van de Looi takes over as head coach of NK Olimpija!
The new head coach of the Dragons is a Dutch expert who comes to Ljubljana with an excellent resume and experience from his homeland, and will now test himself abroad for the first time in his career. The cooperation has been agreed until the end of the current season.
Van de Looi began his coaching career in Groningen’s youth system, where he took on the role of assistant coach for the first team in the 2010/11 season and three years later took over as the team’s head coach. He continued his coaching career at another Dutch top-flight club, Willem II. From 2018, he took charge of the Netherlands U-21 national team, while also being involved in managing the senior national team, including as assistant to coach van Gaal in 2021. Through this, he gained experience working at the highest global level.
Throughout his career, the new strategist of the Green-Whites has worked with exceptional individuals such as Dušan Tadić, Virgil van Dijk, Denzel Dumfries, Cody Gakpo, Xavi Simons, and Ryan Gravenberch. Before coming to Olimpija, he spent two seasons as the head coach of another Dutch top-flight club, Heracles Almelo.
His closest assistants in Ljubljana will be Marcel Groninger and Ivan Senzen, who successfully led the Dragons as interim coach in the last two matches. Antonio Delamea Mlinar returns to Olimpija’s football school, where he will continue to play a key role in the development of young players.
