Trabzonspor appoint Eddie Newton as new, non-interim head coach!

Fresh off of winning the Turkish Cup as interim head coach, Eddie Newton has been appointed as the new (non-interim) head coach of Trabzonspor today!

This is the first full-time head coaching appointment for the former Chelsea player, coach, and assistant manager, who had joined the Turkish outfit at the end of January as assistant to Hüseyin Çimşir. Çimşir left the club by mutual consent a couple weeks ago after they fell just a few points short of winning the league. Newton took over as interim boss for the last couple games, including the Cup final against Alanyaspor, which they won 2-0 last Wednesday.

It’s not specified how long of a contract he signed.

Newton over a decade at Chelsea as a youth and first-team player, then nearly another decade a bit later as a coach, assistant, and loanee liaison — including as assistant to Roberto Di Matteo in 2012. He started the season on Frank Lampard’s staff, but held ambitions far beyond that at this point in his career. He set himself the goal of becoming a manager when he left six months ago, and now he’s fulfilled that already, and with a first trophy to boot as well!

Trabzonspor finished second in the league this season, but will not be able to compete in Europe due to a ban for FFP non-compliance. (It’s only enforced for non mega-rich teams, it would appear.)

We wish Eddie Newton all the best of luck for next season and beyond. And in the more immediate future, get ready for more Uğurcan Çakır transfer rumors!