MATJAZ KEK ended his vacation in Croatia to return to Slovenia for an interview at the Slovenian Football Association. The Slovenian coach spent the last few days in Croatia near Zadar, and his vacation was interrupted by a call from Dinamo.
As we found out, the Slovenian coach is going to terminate the contract that binds him to the Slovenian national team until 2022. The Slovenian Association told Index that they have no comments, but added that they will issue an official statement if something happens. From sources close to Dinamo, we have heard that Kek is expected at the club for final negotiations.
"They are very close to closing the deal," says our source from Dinamo, adding that such a coach costs a lot, but is also valuable to the club.
The Slovene helped Rijeka win the title of Croatian champion three years ago by creating a system he'll be remembered by, and by turning average and relatively unknown players into a modern team after spending five years at the club.
After dismissing Nenad Bjelica and Igor Jovicevic, Dinamo is looking for a long-term coach, and Kek, as one of the best coaches in the history of the HNL, is interested in such a job. Dinamo will be the biggest challenge of his career.
A few days ago, Kek commented on the situation in the HNL for Index, stating that the only way to achieve good results is for the team to trust the coach.
"The coach should be allowed to do his job freely. In order to be able to do that, a clear system and hierarchy should be established and respected by everyone in the club, just like in Rijeka. Without doing that, there's no chance of achieving good results. Of course, the conditions provided by Damir Miskovic in terms of training and infrastructure are also important. That is the only way the club can have a great coach", explained the Slovene, who will be welcomed at Dinamo by Zoran Mamic, the club's sports director who will act as Dinamo's coach in the last three rounds of the season.
Kek is expected to prepare the team for the next season's Champions League. When asked about the issues within Dinamo and the role of the Mamic brothers who, according to non-final verdicts and indictments, stole more than 40,000 euros, Kek gave the following answer for Index:
"I wouldn't say that Dinamo is falling apart, and I don't have any comments on the appointment of coaches since I don't know much about it. It seems to me that a young coach found himself at Dinamo at the wrong time. The European Championship is very important to Dinamo, and Jovicevic showed how difficult it is to coach such an important club. He put a lot of young players into fast-paced games, and he probably had the European Championship in mind. It is not easy being the champion of the country, there are always expectations of more. As for Zoran Mamic, I can only say that his Dinamo was a serious team and a difficult opponent. "
We also asked the Slovenian coach when he intends to return to the HNL, where he is often associated with Hajduk and Dinamo. He said:
"Thank you for remembering me and for talking to me. Greetings to you and all Index readers. I'll talk to you soon."
It looks like we'll hear from the coach even earlier than we thought. We have not been able to reach Kek on his phone since last night, and it is clear why. He has a lot of work to do.
One of the best coaches in the history of the HNL
The Slovene arrived in Rijeka in 2013 and revived the club. He created a European team that defeated the famous Milan and overthrew Dinamo from the first place. He helped Andrej Kramaric and Franko Andrijasevic, who were the best players in the league while playing in Rijeka.
In 2014, he won two trophies with Rijeka, the Croatian Football Cup, and the Croatian Football Super Cup. In his five-year career, he managed to enter the group stage of the Europa League twice, and in 2017 he almost entered the group stage of the Champions League, but the Greek giant Olympiakos was better in two playoff games.
In 2017, he won the title of Croatian champion and the Croatian Football Cup with Rijeka. With the title of champion, he overthrew the rule of Dinamo. The people of Rijeka looked invincible, and Kek won over fans from Split, Rijeka, Zagreb, and Osijek who appreciate his work.