Hull City appoint Jakirovic as new head coach
Sergej Jakirovic has managed in Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey
- Published
Hull City have appointed Sergej Jakirovic as their new head coach on a two-year deal.
The 48-year-old Bosnian joins the Championship side after a short spell in charge of Turkish Super Lig outfit Kayserispor.
The Tigers sacked boss Ruben Selles last month after they narrowly avoided relegation to League One, staying up on goal difference.
Jakirovic has managed in Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia, and was only appointed head coach of Kayserispor in January but left the club by mutual consent, external on Sunday.
A Hull City statement confirmed they had "agreed a settlement" with the Turkish club for Jakirovic to join the Tigers.
The deal has the option of a further year, in the club's favour.
Former Bosnia defender Jakirovic led Dinamo Zagreb to the Croatian league and cup double in 2023-24.
However, he left Zagreb in September two days after overseeing their heaviest ever defeat, a 9-2 reverse at Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
He is the third appointment at MKM Stadium since Liam Rosenior was sacked in May 2024 after guiding the East Yorkshire side to a seventh-placed finish in the Championship.
German Tim Walter only lasted until November when he was sacked with the Tigers in the bottom three.
Spaniard Selles followed him out of the door six months later despite securing second-tier survival with a draw at Portsmouth on the final day.
Jakirovic now moves to Humberside after guiding Kayserispor to a 13th-placed finish, having arrived when the club was in the relegation zone.
He is the fifth managerial appointment under the watch of chairman Acun Ilicali, who took over in January 2022.
"After a thorough and extensive recruitment process, we are delighted to secure the services of Sergej," Turkish businessman Ilicali told the club's website, external.
"We believe in the football that he will bring to the MKM Stadium for us and importantly, he has proven himself to be a winner throughout his career.
"My dream for our club has never changed from the first day I took over, and I believe in Sergej as we look forward to the 2025-26 Championship campaign together as one family."
Jakirovic will bring coaches Marko Salatovic, Marin Ivancic and Andjelo Roguljic with him to Humberside to work alongside Andy Dawson and Erbil Bozkurt in the Tigers' backroom staff.