Former Celtic boss Deila named New York City coach on three-year deal

Former Celtic boss Ronny Deila has been named the new head coach of New York City.

The 44-year-old has signed a three-year deal to take charge of the MLS club, who have been seeking a new coach since the departure of Domenec Torrent last November.

“When the opportunity came up to join New York City FC as their new head coach, it was a dream come true for me to manage an amazing club in a great city,” Deila told the club’s website.

“I’m ready to see our supporters and hopefully we’ll have a wonderful relationship. I’m going to do everything I can to play good football the City way and I’ll give everything from myself to the club and I’m sure we’re going to achieve fantastic things in the future.”

Deila won two league titles and the League Cup in Scotland with Celtic and had spent the past three years with Norwegian club Valerenga.

“We’re extremely excited to have Ronny join us, and after a thorough coaching search, we’re confident we’ve found the perfect fit for New York City FC,” said CEO Brad Sims.

“City Football Group has had a relationship with Ronny for a long time, and we’ve been very impressed with his coaching acumen and his belief in playing a style that fits our attacking ethos.”

New York, part of the CFG group that includes Premier League champions Manchester City, finished top of the MLS Eastern Conference in 2019 to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.

They were beaten 2-1 by Toronto in the postseason semi-finals.

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Deila began his coaching career with a short spell at Norwegian fourth-tier club Brodd in 2005 before moving to Stromsgodset in 2006 as player/assistant coach.

He retired from playing after being promoted to coach two years later and went on to spend six seasons in charge, winning the Tippeligaen in 2013.

His success at Strømsgodset attracted the interest of Celtic, who he joined on an initial 12-month rolling deal in the summer of 2014. He spent two seasons at Celtic Park, winning the league on both occasions, before stepping down in the summer of 2016.