Adi Hütter has confirmed that he has signed a contract extension with AS Monaco, ensuring the experienced Austrian will remain Head Coach until the end of the 2027 season. The announcement came over the weekend, just one day before a cruel defeat for Les Rouge et Blanc at the hands of PSG in the Trophée des Champions.
Hütter joined AS Monaco in July 2023 on an initial two-year contract, succeeding Belgian coach Philippe Clement. Over the past 18 months, the 54-year-old Austrian has managed the team in just over 60 professional fixtures, achieving an impressive victory rate of nearly 60%.
In a statement released on 4th January, AS Monaco highlighted Hütter’s “resolutely forward-looking game” and praised the former international midfielder for nurturing young talents developed at the club, including Maghnes Akliouche, Eliesse Ben Seghir, and Soungoutou Magassa.
Trophée des Champions
Celebrations surrounding Hütter’s contract extension were short-lived, as AS Monaco suffered a disappointing defeat the day after the announcement in the French Trophée des Champions.
Monaco faced Paris Saint-Germain for the second time in less than a month. After a bitter 2-4 loss at home in the Stade Louis II in mid-December, Hütter was optimistic about overcoming their Parisian rivals, but it wasn’t to be.
See more: Football: Monaco’s Ligue 1 title hopes dealt big blow by PSG
Both teams created numerous chances. AS Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn was heroic early on, deflecting Désiré Doué’s shot onto the crossbar in the ninth minute and making key saves against Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha throughout the game.
Monaco responded with strong efforts, including Maghnes Akliouche’s curling shot and Takumi Minamino’s near-post strike, both of which tested PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The second half started with a flurry of activity. Eliesse Ben Seghir came close to breaking the deadlock, while Vanderson struck the post. Köhn continued his stellar performance, making crucial saves against Achraf Hakimi and Gonçalo Ramos. However, Monaco’s resilience was undone in stoppage time, with Dembélé scoring in the 92nd minute to secure a 1-0 victory in Doha for PSG.
“We have to be honest, Paris had many more chances than us, but we had a game plan that the team tried to respect, so I want to congratulate them for that,” admitted Hütter post-match. “You can imagine that every player was sad in the locker room after losing in the last moments because it was a big blow for us. We must now raise our heads and think about the next match against Nantes. In any case, I think that tonight the spectators saw a very good match.”
AS Monaco will resume their Ligue 1 campaign with an away game against Nantes on 10th January.
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Photo source: AS Monaco
