Former Premier League defender to take charge of MLS team

St Louis City’s long wait for a new head coach may finally be over.

Former Aston Villa and Sweden defender Olof Mellberg is reportedly close to taking charge of the club. St. Louis have been without a permanent head coach since Bradley Carnell was fired back in July, leaving interim boss John Hackworth to oversee the final months of the season.

Mellberg, now 47, is currently the manager of Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna but his current deal will expire on December 2. Sweden is one of few European leagues that follows the calendar-year schedule.

During his first spell with Brommapojkarna Mellberg led the team to back-to-back promotions, taking them back into the top tier of Swedish soccer. He also gained coaching experience with Fremad Amager in Denmark and Helsingborgs.

Which teams did Olof Mellberg play for?

Now ten years into his managerial career, Mellberg remains better-known for his on-field exploits. A rugged yet composed defender, Mellberg represented Degerfors IF and AIK in his homeland before moving to Spanish side Racing Santander.

After impressing in LaLiga he made the move to Aston Villa and spent eight years in the Premier League, gaining cult status at Villa Park. In 2008 he was snapped up by Italian giants Juventus but left Turin after just one season.

Mellberg went on to spend three years with Olympiacos, winning two Greek Super League titles, before ending his career with spells at Villarreal and Copenhagen.

He made 117 international appearances for Sweden and represented his nation at two World Cups and two European Championships. He was named Sweden’s Player of the Year in 2003 but was a sometimes controversial figure for the national team. In 2002 he fought with teaMMAte Freddie Ljungberg during an open training session, forcing other players to separate them.

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