He becomes head coach

LASK has decided: Darazs stays

Thomas Darazs

(Bild: APA/EXPA/UWE WINTER)

Bundesliga soccer club LASK is going into the future with Thomas Darazs as head coach. The third-placed team in the league confirmed the already rumored continued cooperation with the former interim coach on Sunday. Darazs only stepped in as head coach after Thomas Sageder was replaced in mid-April because he has the necessary coaching license. After some respectable performances, he signed a contract as head coach in Linz until 2026.

For Radovan Vujanovic, Managing Director Sport at LASK, it is clear that Darazs is "the best solution" for the club. "He has proven that he is capable of developing a team further and stands for an attractive, attacking and courageous style of play. In addition, he has found a very good connection with the team in a very short space of time and has made a significant contribution to the players being able to call on their potential and strengths," Vujanovic was quoted as saying in a club statement.

"Very easy"
Darazs expressed his delight at the club's confidence in him. "Working with the team in recent weeks has given me great pleasure, which is why the decision was very easy for me when the club approached me. I approach the task with humility, but also great confidence. The team has proven in recent games that it has great potential."

The Linz team had originally intended to appoint Maximilian Ritscher as their main coach. However, the previous assistant coach only has a UEFA A license and not a Pro license, as a result of which LASK was even denied a playing permit for the upcoming Bundesliga season in the first instance. Darazs officially took over, but according to the original plan was to return in his role as sporting director of the academy after his intermezzo.

Stabilized
Under the 46-year-old Viennese, however, Linz stabilized and secured third place in the league with four wins in the first five games. In the final match, they drew 2:2 with champions Sturm and lost 1:7 to runners-up Salzburg. LASK will now play for a place in the Europa League at the end of August. Should they fail to make it through to the play-off round, there is still at least the Conference League stage to console them.

Darazs has only been at LASK since the beginning of the year. He had previously only gained experience as a coach in the professional game in 2022 as assistant to Andreas Wieland at Belgian second division club Beerschot. Former coach Wieland himself returned to LASK as technical director in January. As a player, Darazs played 97 Bundesliga games for his home club Austria Wien and SV Ried until 2003. The former midfielder also made five appearances for the U21 national team.