Leekens takes charge of Gent

Mouscron departure
Leekens, who turns 55 tomorrow, has signed a two-year deal with the option of a further two seasons. He became available after R. Excelsior Mouscron, whom he guided to fourth place this season, agreed to terminate the remaining two years on his contract.

High hopes
"We wanted to give a signal to the fans that we want to improve," said Gent chairman Ivan de Witte, whose team finished ninth in the first division. "Within two years our new stadium will be ready, then we can start talking about qualifying for Europe." Before taking charge of Mouscron last summer, Leekens had a brief spell with the Algerian national team.

Experienced coach
A former Club Brugge KV and Belgium defender, Leekens began his coaching career in 1984 with KSV Cercle Brugge. In 1987, he became coach at RSC Anderlecht before moving to KV Kortrijk a year later. From 1989-91 he was with Club Brugge, winning the title and cup during a successful spell.

Belgium tenure
After that he coached KV Mechelen, Trabzonspor and Cercle Brugge again, before his first spell with Mouscron in 1995 when he guided them to promotion. In 1997, he took the Belgium job and helped the Red Devils qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In 1999, he joined KSC Lokeren OV, before heading to Dutch club Roda JC two years later where he stayed for just a season.