Director of Football Dévy Rigaux addressed the media regarding the club’s decision to make a change in the dugout.
"I can imagine this may come as a surprise, but internally we had felt for some time that we had come to the end of a cycle. The energy simply wasn’t there anymore, something Nicky himself acknowledged after the match against STVV. We saw a lack of intensity within the team and a lack of consistency in our Jupiler Pro League results.
As a club, we have a responsibility to act proactively and ensure we remain competitive at the highest level, so we felt this decision was necessary.
“Our choice to appoint Ivan Leko is a deliberate one and one we make with full confidence. He embodies drive, energy and passion. He has been highly successful both as a player and as a coach at Club Brugge, and he fully embodies the Club Brugge DNA.
“Of course, we also look at ourselves. This is a shared responsibility — it always is when you part ways with a head coach. On a human level, it was incredibly difficult to deliver that message, especially after the fantastic journey we have had with Nicky.
“We remain convinced that there is a great deal of quality within this squad, but we are equally aware that results have lacked consistency. That responsibility is shared, and we won’t shy away from it. We will therefore look to make targeted additions during the winter transfer window."