Kitchee’s new coach Edgar Cardoso says fresh signings can turn club’s fortunes around

Edgar Cardoso said the manner of his appointment as Kitchee head coach was “not so easy”, but obtaining a senior managerial post had been a “life target”.

The 41-year-old Portuguese unofficially took charge late last season, with interim boss Kim Dong-jin relegated to a subsidiary role as Kitchee’s campaign nosedived.

Last month, Cardoso was confirmed as the permanent replacement for Kim, who will take charge of Kitchee’s under-22s.

“The team was going through a strange and difficult moment [at the end of 2023-24], to be honest, we don’t know exactly the reasons behind that drop,” Cardoso said.

“[The managerial change] was an internal decision, and not so easy for me.

“I was replacing someone I worked with, and who I cared about a lot. But it was the club’s decision, and everyone agreed with it.”