Villa turn to Copenhagen again to appoint Head of Research
Leth had been with FC Copenhagen for eight years
Written by Simon Austin — February 2, 2021
ASTON VILLA have again hired a senior member of staff from FC Copenhagen in Denmark, with Frederik Leth joining the Premier League outfit as their Head of Football Research.
In August, Villa appointed Johan Lange as their Sporting Director, replacing Jesus Garcia Pitarch. The man who replaced Lange as Technical Director at Copenhagen, Leth, has now joined him at Villa.
The 26-year-old had only held the role for three months before handing in his resignation at Copenhagen in November. After serving his notice period, he is now in situ at Villa and will work closely with Lange and the heads of department at the club to ensure that “evidence-based practice is as relevant and contemporary as possible.”
Leth had worked at Copenhagen since 2012, initially in the talent department, before becoming a technical scout for the first team in 2014. He was Head of Scouting and Analytics at the club for 18 months before taking on his short-lived stint as Technical Director.
After handing in his resignation in November, Leth told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet: “I have had eight good years at FCK with talented and inspiring people, but I feel that now is the time for me to go a new direction, and now I want to hand over my tasks quietly.”
Head of Football Research is a new position at Villa and is rare across the Premier League as a whole. Ben Smith is Head of Research and Innovation for Chelsea; Andrew Gilligan is Head of Research and Insights for City Football Group, who own Manchester City; Alan McCall is Head of Research and Development for Arsenal; and David Horrocks is Head of Research and Development for Manchester United on a contractual basis.
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