The former St Etienne and Brann boss is Lutz Pfannenstiel’s number one choice to succeed Jimmy Thelin
16:22, 06 Feb 2026Updated 19:04, 06 Feb 2026
Eirik Horneland(Image: Philippe Lecoeur/FEP/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Aberdeen remain locked in talks with Eirik Horneland and are confident of overcoming one major financial hurdle before they can appoint their next manager.
Record Sport broke the news earlier this week that the Norwegian coach is the leading contender to face Jimmy Thelin. Horneland has only been out of work for less than a week after leaving St Etienne. He was appointed as boss of the Ligue 2 side in December 2024 but departed just 13 months into a three-year contract at the end of January.
Ex Brann and Rosenborg head coach Horneland was on a bumper annual salary of around £1million, and his early departure from St Etienne could cost the club as much as £750,000 in compensation for his dismissal.
But despite the heavy figures involved, Aberdeen remain keen to get a deal for the 50-year-old over the line and negotiations are still ongoing. Horneland is a close friend of Pittodrie sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, who previously tried to bring him to St Louis City in the MLS during his time as the club’s sporting director.
Horneland fits the bill of an attack-minded coach that the Dons are looking for, and is already familiar with Aberdeen midfielder Sivert Heltne Nilsen and new goalkeeper Per Kristian Bratveit, who both previously played under him at Brann.
Prior to his stint in France, Horneland enjoyed some stellar success in his native Norway. Two fourth place finishes in the Eliteserien in three seasons with Haugesland saw him land the top job at Rosenborg in 2019. Horneland led the club to a second place league finish and the group stages of the Europa League before moving on following a poor start to the 2020 campaign.
However, he bounced back by guiding Brann back into the Eliteserien by winning the second division title, following it up by leading the Bergen-based side to the Norwegian Cup in 2023.
Aberdeen Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel(Image: SNS Group)
That triumph saw Brann enter the qualifying phase of the Conference League, where they fell to AZ Alkmaar of the Eredivisie in the play-off round in a nail-biting penalty shootout.
Horneland would take Brann to the same stage of the competition 12 months later, only for them to fall Astana of Kazakhstan, who overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to win 3-2 on aggregate.
The Reds have been forced to postpone clashes against Celtic in the Premiership and Motherwell in the Scottish Cup due to heavy rain in the Granite City.
And with the team next slated to take to the field in a short drip down the A90 to face Dundee United at Tannadice next Wednesday, fans at Pittodrie will be hoping for some good news on the manager front before then.