Andreas Hagen appointed as Frederiksen's assistant coach

Born in Oslo in 1986, Hagen enjoyed a playing career with Skeid, Jerv, and Fredrikstad, making more than 100 appearances in Norway's second tier as a central midfielder. He also featured nine times in the Danish Superliga whilst competing for Viborg FF.

After retiring, Hagen became a coach at Jerv, quickly earning a reputation for his meticulous approach to training, analytical mindset, and strong relationships with players.

A key step in his development came at the start of 2023, when Mikkjal Thomassen brought him into his coaching staff at Fredrikstad. After working alongside Thomassen for more than 18 months, Hagen took charge of the club following the latter's move to AIK. Having already been a key figure in the club's coaching staff, he was the natural successor and impressed enough during his spell as caretaker to be appointed permanently after just 11 official matches.

Under Hagen, Fredrikstad finished sixth in the Eliteserien and, most importantly, lifted the Norwegian Cup for the first time in 18 years after defeating Molde in the final. That success earned the club a place in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, where they narrowly lost to eventual winners Crystal Palace in the play-off round. Fredrikstad finished eighth in the league the following season. Hagen left the club in May, after the first nine matches of the current campaign.

"We had been treating the recruitment of a new assistant coach as a priority for several months," said Lech’s Sporting Director, Tomasz Rząsa. "We carried out a thorough search to find someone with the right coaching expertise who also fits our football philosophy. Andreas will play an important role in training, analysis, and player development. We had several very constructive conversations with him, and he confirmed the excellent references we had received from people who worked with him daily."

Lech’s head coach, Niels Frederiksen, expressed his excitement about the appointment.

"From the very beginning of the process, Andreas stood out as a highly promising candidate. He has extensive experience, and the fact that he has worked as a head coach was particularly important to me because he understands the responsibility that comes with the role. His football philosophy and coaching methods closely match my own, and he is also a great fit for the way we work every day. It was important for us to have our new assistant coach in place before the start of pre-season, so it's excellent news that he will be able to get to know the players and the rest of the staff during the training camp. I'm convinced he is the right appointment and will strengthen us in many areas," emphasised Frederiksen.