Middlesbrough have officially confirmed the appointments of Kim Hellberg as head coach and David Selini as assistant head coach.
The Swedish duo arrive at Boro from Hammarby, with Hellberg taking over from Rob Edwards. The 37-year-old quickly emerged as the standout candidate during Middlesbrough’s unexpected search for a new manager. Hellberg has built a strong reputation in Sweden, achieving notable success throughout his early coaching career. During his two-year tenure at Hammarby, he led the club to back-to-back second-place finishes—their best results in over a decade.
In news that will no doubt please Boro supporters, the club also confirmed that Adi Viveash will remain on the coaching staff. Viveash, who impressed during his recent interim spell, brings valuable Championship experience to Hellberg’s team.
David Selini first linked up with Hellberg in 2021 at Sylvia. An experienced assistant coach, Selini’s LinkedIn page highlights his key responsibilities: planning and executing training sessions, analysing opponents, and continually developing the team’s playing philosophy and training methods. After guiding Sylvia to promotion, the pair moved to IFK Varnamo, achieving a tenth-place finish in the club’s first season in Allsvenskan, followed by a fifth-place finish the next year.
Their success earned them the move to Hammarby, where they delivered consecutive second-place finishes.
Selini enjoyed a modest playing career before transitioning into coaching in Sweden. Like Hellberg, he had not worked abroad before this move to Middlesbrough. Early in his coaching career, he combined part-time coaching roles with a six-year tenure as an interrogator in the Swedish Police Department, demonstrating notable discipline and resilience. Enes Ahmetovic, Varnamo’s sporting director, praised Selini, saying: “David is competent, ambitious, and constantly works to develop himself, his players, and his surroundings. He is extremely professional and always guarantees maximum effort. He is appreciated by both managers and players.”
Before joining Hellberg at Sylvia, Selini also ran a blog called Running The Show, dedicated to football tactics. Although it hasn’t been updated since December 2021, the site remains online, offering insight into his tactical approach and football philosophy. In one post on counter-pressing, Selini wrote: “Counter-pressing is very popular at the minute and I consider it to be an incredibly important concept that should be practised and taught in combination with the team’s attacking play.”
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