Eirik Horneland Emerges Top Candidate for Aberdeen Pittodrie Managerial Role

Jordan Hartwell

Published: February 5, 2026 8:02 AM ET

Eirik Horneland Emerges Top Candidate for Aberdeen Pittodrie Managerial Role

Former Saint-Etienne manager Eirik Horneland has emerged as the leading candidate for the managerial position at Aberdeen. The 50-year-old has caught the attention of the club’s hierarchy following final stage interviews, positioning him as the top target for the role.

Managerial Search at Aberdeen

Sky Sports News has indicated that final discussions regarding the appointment of a new manager will occur this week. Alongside Horneland, several other candidates remain in consideration, including:

Stephen Robinson – St Mirren
Uwe Rosler – VfL Bochum
Markus Gisdol

Aberdeen has been without a permanent head coach since the dismissal of Jimmy Thelin in early January. The search has been spearheaded by sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, who has been an admirer of Horneland for some time.

Peter Leven, currently in interim charge, has managed to secure one victory from four league games and advanced past Championship side Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup.

Aberdeen’s Current Standing

As of now, Aberdeen sits seventh in the Scottish Premiership. They are eight points away from the top six, though they have a game in hand over Falkirk, who are just above them in the standings.

Eirik Horneland’s Background

Horneland’s managerial career began as an assistant at Haugesund, a club he once played for. He later managed the Norway U19 team before returning to Haugesund, where he garnered attention over a successful three-year period.

In 2019, he took the reins at Rosenborg, guiding them to a third-place finish in the league and achieving entry into the group stage of the Europa League. However, he resigned the following year due to disappointing results.

Subsequent roles included a position as an assistant at Brann, where he was promoted to caretaker and eventually head coach. During his first season, he led the club to promotion and set league records for points and goals scored. His accomplishments earned him the league’s Coach of the Year award.

Horneland continued to find success with domestic cup victories and European competition before accepting the managerial position at Saint-Etienne, from which he departed by mutual consent last month.