Hütter signals Salzburg intentions

Adi Hütter has been named as Roger Schmidt's replacement as coach of FC Salzburg – but he will have to do without Dušan Švento, who has left the club to join German side 1. FC Koln.

The 43-year-old Hütter led tiny SV Grödig to third place in the Austrian Bundesliga this season and will succeed the Bayer 04 Leverkusen-bound Schmidt on a two-year contract. "With probably the smallest budget in the league, Adi Hütter took Grödig to third position and into Europe," explained Salzburg sporting director Ralf Rangnick. "Since it became likely that Roger Schmidt would leave, he was the obvious successor."

"I want to maintain Salzburg's playing philosophy, but with my way of being a coach and my ideas," explained Hütter, who represented Salzburg as a midfielder from 1993–2000 and later returned to coach their reserve team. "The club has a big goal: reaching the UEFA Champions League group stage and putting in a good performance. The way I see this team, we can do it."

Hütter will not be able to call on Slovakia winger Švento next term, however. The 28-year-old – who scored 22 goals in 183 competitive games for Salzburg – has transferred to newly promoted Köln, signing a deal until 2017.

Following a spell in charge of SCR Altach, Hütter assumed the Grödig helm in summer 2012, steering them to promotion to the top flight in his first campaign. His replacement at Grödig will be 45-year-old Michael Baur, in his first senior coaching assignment.