Southampton name Richard Kitzbichler as new first-team assistant coach

Southampton have appointed Richard Kitzbichler as the new assistant coach to Ralph Hasenhuttl, the Premier League club said on Friday.

Kitzbichler, 45, joins the coaching staff following the departure of Danny Rohl at the end of last season.

Former Austria international Kitzbichler began his playing career at Wacker Innsbruck, before spells with Tirol Innsbruck, SC Holz Pfeifer Kundl, Austria Salzburg and Austria Wien. He finished his playing career at Salzburg where he transitioned into a role as an analyst.

After six years in the role, Kitzbichler was appointed assistant coach to Oscar Garcia in 2015. His next job took him to China in 2017, where he linked up with former Salzburg manager Roger Schmidt at Beijing Sinobo Guoan.

The pair helped the club to a fourth-placed finish in the Chinese Super League in 2018 and also winning the Chinese FA Cup for the first time in 15 years.

Kitzbichler joins Hasenhuttl`s backroom staff alongside first-team coaches Dave Watson, Craig Fleming and Kelvin Davis, and goalkeeping coach Andrew Sparkes, as well as head of sports science Alek Gross and head of first-team analysis Scott Waters.

Southampton are one of the four teams to have started the new Premier League season with consecutive defeats. They next face a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.