Barnsley have announced Markus Schopp as their latest manager, continuing the recent trend of appointing managers working in Austria.
Schopp, 47, arrives from TSV Hartberg and has penned a three-year deal. He is the third successive boss that Barnsley have unearthed from the Austrian league.
Valerien Ismael, who led Barnsley to a top-six finish last season when they fell short at the play-off semi-final stage, was plucked from LASK in October 2020. Prior to that, Gerhard Struber arrived in November 2019 having previously managed Wolfsberger in his homeland.
Both Struber and Ismael were poached after achieving remarkable feats in their short stints in the Oakwell hotseat, leaving for New York Red Bulls and West Brom respectively.
Struber led Barnsley to a memorable final day survival in 2019-20, before Ismael followed that up with a fifth-placed finish last time out.
Schopp will now be hoping to follow in their footsteps.
Speaking after his appointment, he said: “It’s great to come to a country where football is so big, so traditional, especially in South Yorkshire. There are so many clubs and they are so famous and Barnsley, for me, is one of those teams.
"I will help Barnsley get to where they have been in the last year, I will do everything for that.
“I appreciate this opportunity a lot and I look forward to getting to work, meeting the team and coaching staff and seeing the supporters back in the stadium soon.”
Schopp enjoyed a successful playing career, winning 56 caps for Austria and appearing at the 1998 World Cup.
Alongside two stints with Sturm Graz, where he won an Austrian title in 1999, and Hamburg in Germany, Schopp also lined up alongside Roberto Baggio and Pep Guardiola during a spell at Brescia in Italy.
Barnsley begin the new Championship campaign away at Cardiff City on August 7.
Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip
