Speakman has taken up the role as FC Copenhagen’s new director of football

Kristjaan Speakman’s return to football has been confirmed.

Speakman has been officially announced as the new sporting director of FC Copenhagen, his first role since leaving Sunderland earlier this year. Taking charge of one of Denmark’s most historic clubs, Speakman is tasked with reviving their fortunes after a poor season in which they played in the relegation division for the first time. A win in the division’s European play-off, however, means they will enter the Conference League at the qualification stage in 2026/27.

FC Copenhagen said Speakman emerged as the preferred candidate after impressing in a rigorous and extensive recruitment programme.

“I am proud to take up the position of Director of Football at such a fantastic club as FC Copenhagen,” Speakman said.

“Here is a very special history and a unique fan base, which places great demands on everyone in the club.”

"The task is to continuously develop and improve all our sporting functions and in this way bring the trophies back to Copenhagen. Our ambitions are unchanged, but our approach must be developed so that we can secure the foundation for continued success. It is a task that motivates me a lot.

“There is clearly a lot to do, both in the short and long term,” Speakman added.

“The immediate priority is to support Bo Svensson and the sporting team by putting together a first-team squad that can qualify for the UEFA Conference League and win the championship - that work is already well underway.”

“In the long term, I will lead the work of defining the strategic roadmap that will strengthen our sporting position across all teams and functions.”

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Speakman will officially begin work on July 1st, and CEO Jacob Lauesen said he was impressed with his vision for the task ahead.

“We have discussed the upcoming transformation in detail with Kristjaan throughout the process, and his strategic insight and experience have already proven to be defining for the plan to be rolled out,” Lauesen said.

“Here is a man who knows what he wants and how to do it. It is simply a pleasure. In our evaluation process, we have identified a number of areas that need to be optimised as soon as possible. Kristjaan is the right person to lead this development."

"He has impressive hands-on experience and a holistic, visionary approach. I am very much looking forward to our collaboration and to setting new milestones with FC Copenhagen.”

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