Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri recently claimed that the next Owls boss wouldn’t need to be subjected to a Google search, so who on earth is Jess Thorup?
The Danish boss is the latest to be linked with replacing Darren Moore at Hillsborough, according to Football Insider. Wednesday’s appointment process is proving a slow one and they really can’t let things drag on much more.
With the 53-year-old linked with the vacancy we took a look at five things you might not know about the latest boss to be touted with a move to Hillsborough:
- Thorup has only managed in two different countries. He’s taken charge of FC Midtjylland and FC Copenhagen in Denmark; whilst he’s also had spells with Gent and Genk in Belgium.
- As a player, he was a centre-forward. The best spell of his playing career came during seven years with Esbjerg where he scored 58 goals in 203 appearances.
- Thorup has claimed silverware as a boss. He’s won the Danish First Division, the Danish Superliga twice and has also got his hands on the Danish Cup.
- His win ratio isn’t bad as a boss, albeit in leagues less demanding than the Championship. He’s taken charge of 450 games in total, winning over 54% of them.
- Back in March, Thorup was linked with a move to Aberdeen. The Dons, however, couldn’t convince him to make the move to Scotland.
What has been said about Thorup?
After his appointment at FC Copenhagen, the club’s Chairman Bo Rygaard heaped praise on Thorup. He claimed: “He is a professionally skilled coach who also possesses great human qualities and solid experience.
William Kvist was the Sporting Director at the time and echoed the sentiment, claiming: “Jess is well recognised and deeply respected coach who has proven himself no matter what club or league he’s coached in.”
Verdict: Should Wednesday go for Thorup?
It has to be said that this would be extremely risky for the Owls.
Moore’s departure has sent shockwaves around Hillsborough and ultimately, letting him go would only make sense if the appointment was a big one.
Thorup isn’t that man. As a coach he demands respect but with all due respect, the clubs he’s managed have played in far less demanding leagues than the Championship.
Chansiri said the new manager wouldn’t need to be the subject of a Google search. Thorup is one unknown quantity that Wednesday simply can’t afford to appoint.