DVSC held a press conference on Tuesday, attended by Ike Thierry Zaengel president and Sergio Navarro head coach. During the event, several topics were addressed, which were of great interest for the fans.

According to Ike Thierry Zaengel, after two successful seasons, the previous one did not go well. However, he believes that the upcoming season will be more successful with the new head coach, Sergio Navarro, who brings a new vision to the club.

“We have signed a great coach who will also aim to integrate young players into the team. A wonderful future lies ahead of us. We will still sign good players and I ask for your trust. I don’t live in the past—I believe in the future, and I’m proud to be the president of DVSC. I urge everyone not to believe fake news, only what the club officially communicates. I wanted DVSC to join a multi-club system for a long time, and now, through Five Eleven, we have a new partner. I am and will remain the president and a shareholder of the club. Our plan is for Loki to rise higher and higher within the multi-club system and we will share the news related to this with our fans,” emphasized Ike Thierry Zaengel in response to a question, also confirming that DVSC will extend Balázs Dzsudzsák’s contract.

“It’s a great honor for me to be the head coach of Loki,” began Sergio Navarro, who led Athletic Bilbao’s academy for the past three years. “Thank you for the trust. The project outlined by DVSC was very convincing to me. The club has a development plan based on the improvement of players and the integration of academy talents. My staff and I are here to make this plan a reality and with our professional experience, we know how to accomplish that. Beginnings are often difficult, but the most important thing is that we all understand what the path to success looks like.

When I decided to leave Bilbao, I had offers from several prestigious clubs, but I completely identified with the Debrecen project. I arrived with a staff that has professional experience and knowledge, and with the addition of local coaches, we can be competitive. As a player, I made it to Villarreal’s first team. During my coaching career, I worked as an assistant coach at Rubin Kazan and Levante, achieving success internationally, in the league and in cup competitions as well. I’ve been head coach in Ukraine and led two of Europe’s most important academies at Villarreal and Bilbao. I’m convinced that I can put all that experience to good use here in Debrecen. We’ll need time to merge as a team, but we are confident in our knowledge,” said Sergio Navarro, who also talked about several current issues.

“I really like the facilities here—the training center, the stadium—everything is in place for us to do good work. During the training camp in Austria, the main focus was on getting to know the players. I’m aware of the characteristics of the Hungarian league as it’s part of my job. We need to integrate new players and the ones we’ve chosen and will continue to choose are those who can truly help the team. The most important thing is that people enjoy the football we play and of course, we want to win every match,” stated the coach of Loki.

The coaching staff of DVSC is ready

Under the leadership of Sergio Navarro, the preparation of DVSC is already underway and the professional staff has also been finalized.

The 46-year-old Spanish professional, Sergio Navarro arrived from Athletic Bilbao, having led one of the most effective football academy in the world during the last three years. The pro-licence coach, who had also played at Villarreal, previously worked in various roles at Villarreal (youth methodology director), Levante (assistant coach), Rubin Kazan (assistant coach, head of youth development) and Karpaty Lviv (head coach), before taking over the leadership of the Athletic Club de Bilbao Academy (Lezama). Sergio Navarro obtained his university degrees in football studies at the universities of Valencia and Barcelona.

The selection of the new head coach was strongly influenced by his extensive and valuable experience and work in international football, particularly within the elite level of youth development. His appointment is symbolic of our club’s intention to move forward and develop along the path of integrating young homegrown players into the first team more efficiently and effectively. The experience, work ethic and philosophy represented by Sergio Navarro perfectly fits with our concept as we have many talented young players with great potential (a recent example is the two Hungarian Youth Cup titles that we’ve won last weekend). With the help of such a professional, our players can develop further for the benefit of both Debrecen and Hungarian football overall. We are glad and hopeful that such an expert has accepted our invitation and will support us in building this strategic direction.

The direct assistants of Sergio Navarro will include Álex Pallarés, who has previously worked as head coach at first-division Latin American clubs and Bilbao B in the 2022/23 season, now joining as assistant coach, as well as Sergio Manas Garcia, who will take on the role of strength and conditioning coach, having previously worked at the academies of Castellón and Villarreal. Pablo Alberola, who spent the last three years at the DVSC Football Academy as the local head of methodology as part of the cooperation with Villarreal CF, will also be a member of the staff. His responsibilities will include maintaining communication between the first and the second team as well as facilitating and coordinating the upward movement of players. Roberto Robles Feijoo has joined the staff as well. He is a highly qualified methodology expert, holding a UEFA Pro License, a degree in sports management, and a master’s degree from the FC Barcelona Foundation. He has previously worked at Athletic Bilbao, Hércules CF and Deportivo La Coruña. At DVSC, he is focused on the individual development of players. The team is also supported by physiotherapist Abdelilah Abdeslami El Kamboui, who arrived from Las Palmas. His expertise lies in the comprehensive treatment and monitoring of musculoskeletal injuries, implementation of prevention programs as well as pre- and post-operative rehabilitation. Several staff members remain at the club, including goalkeeper coach János Balogh, assistant coach Tibor Dombi, analyst Dávid Szalóczy and physiotherapist Patrik Kalydy.