Kim Hellberg succeeds Rob Edwards at promotion-chasing Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have confirmed the appointment of Swedish manager Kim Hellberg as their new head coach.

The Championship high-flyers were left without a manager after Rob Edwards quit – with the club occupying an automatic promotion spot at the time – to take up his dream role at Premier League side Wolves, much to the frustration of the Boro faithful.

However, owner Steve Gibson has quickly moved on to bring in Hellberg from Allsvenskan runners-up Hammarby, whom he guided to back-to-back second-place finishes in Sweden’s top flight.

The 37-year-old will be joined by his long-standing assistant, David Selini, who will also work alongside interim head coach Adi Viveash as part of the Boro coaching staff.

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Proud

In a club statement, Hellberg said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed as Boro’s head coach and I’m very proud to be here.

“A lot of things make Boro the perfect choice for me.

“The way they play and want to play, together with the crowd, suits me and how I want to work.

“I want us to play quick and aggressive football, and to try to win the ball as quickly as possible if we don’t have it. I want us to be quick on goal and create a lot of chances.

“I’ve been very impressed with the players and how they’ve worked so far this season, and I’m looking forward to getting to work with them.”

Up-and-coming

Hellberg had also been interviewed for the vacant role at Swansea City last week before meeting with Boro.

The club’s head of football Kieran Scott added: “Kim is someone I’ve been monitoring for a while.

“He’s well known in the circles of European football as an up-and-coming head coach that was catching a lot of people’s eye and was doing really well at Hammarby.

“We met a few candidates, but Kim was high on my list of people I wanted to speak to.

“Myself, Neil (Bausor) and Steve met him and were very impressed with what he had to say and how he carried himself.

“We felt it was an appointment that could take us forward, and we’re very pleased to bring him in.”

Boro confirmed that he will not formally take charge until later this week, with Viveash remaining in temporary control for Boro’s midweek clash against Coventry City.

Hellberg met the players for the first time on Monday, but the delay is due to finalising his work permit.

READ MORE: Kim Hellberg inching ever closer to the Middlesbrough hotseat