GENERAL MANAGER Sven Jaecques admits Royal Antwerp have been left stunned by boss Ivan Leko’s decision to quit in favour of a lucrative role in China. 

The Great Old were rocked on Tuesday when the 42-year-old accepted a megabucks offer from Shanghai SIPG, leaving Antwerp searching for a replacement in the middle of their campaign. 

Antwerp currently sit in fifth spot in the Belgian Pro League going into their winter shut-down and face the Gers in the last-32 of the Europa League in February. 

And Jaecques is adamant they never dreamed that they would be looking for a new manager at this stage.

Jaecques explained: “This is no fun, certainly! It's not only the extra work that comes with it, but in recent years we had found stability as a club

“Our last coach [Lazslo Boloni] was here for three years and we thought we would go the same way with Ivan, because appointing him was just a good choice. 

"As always, there are things that could be improved, but we are fifth and very close to the top four and are working on a great European campaign. 

"Not a hair on our heads thought of switching coaches now.”

Former Holland and Bayern Munich star Mark van Bommel and ex-Belgium manager Marc Wilmots are among the early front-runners for the post, but Jaecques says the Great Old are willing to cast a wide net to find the right candidate.
 
He continued: "We are a fairly unique club and, although we have written a new story over the past five years, we have a very great history. 

“The new coach must be a match with the club as a whole. Of course, knowledge of the Belgian league is always a plus, but that is certainly not decisive. Whether Belgian, a foreigner, an experienced coach or a young coach: anything is possible at the moment.

“The good thing is that the new coach ends up in a stable environment. We have a good team with a lot of quality and a framework that has proven itself in recent years.”

Meanwhile, Jaecques has been forced to deny that Leko’s job was under threat earlier this season following a slow start to the season, with some suggesting that played a part in the Croatian’s decision to depart for the Far East. 

He continued: “We had no intention of not continuing with Ivan. There were no struggles and there was very open communication between all parties. 

“You don't always agree with coaches, but we worked together well here.

“The pressure was only increased in the press and, as a club, we always showed stability.”