Dejan Stanković Returns to Red Star and Takes Charge of Nair Tiknizyan’s Team

Football club Red Star officially announced the appointment of Dejan Stanković as the head coach of the team. The contract with the 47-year-old specialist runs until summer 2028.

Previously, Stanković played for Inter and already had a successful tenure at Red Star from December 2019 to August 2022. During that time, he won three Serbian championship titles and two national cups, while also leading the club to the Europa League group stage for three consecutive seasons, twice reaching the knockout stage.

After leaving the Serbian club, Stanković worked as head coach at Sampdoria, Ferencváros, and Moscow’s Spartak. Now he returns to Red Star to continue his successful work and achieve new sporting accomplishments.

Stanković will now be the new head coach for Armenian national team defender Nair Tiknizyan, who has been performing successfully for Red Star. Previously, the Serbian specialist coached Edgar Sevikyan at Ferencváros, although the Armenian forward rarely played under his guidance.

At today’s press conference at the Rajko Mitić Stadium, Stanković shared his first impressions:

“It’s great to be back home. The goals are clear: you can’t focus on just one trophy or one game. Red Star has its own path and ambitions, and I’m here to meet all challenges,” said the coach.

Stanković noted that the new staff includes experienced assistants: Nenad Sakić, Federico Panonćini, Vincenzo Sasso, Pierluigi Brivio, and Andrea Fardone, with whom he has previously worked successfully.

The coach emphasized his readiness to work with all players and highlighted the high level of the current squad:

“The team is well organized, talented, and has a clear understanding of what is needed to win. Now it’s important to add a few elements to complete the picture,” Stanković said.

He also spoke about plans for preparation for the spring part of the season and participation in European competitions, paying particular attention to maintaining player motivation and fully utilizing their potential.