Switzerland's biggest football club Grasshoppers Zurich have decided to part company with head coach Hans-Peter Zaugg just seven months after winning the Swiss league title.

In a statement released on Thursday, the club said they would not be renewing Zaugg's contract when it runs out next June.

Grasshoppers thanked Zaugg for the "spirited and disciplined leadership" shown during last season's championship-winning season, but said that the team had failed to meet the targets set by the club this season.

Koller to take over

The statement also revealed who will be replacing Zaugg in the Grasshoppers hot seat. As has been widely anticipated in the Swiss media, current St Gallen trainer Marcel Koller will take over as the club's head coach in the summer.

Koller, who steered Swiss minnows St Gallen to the Swiss league title in 2000, has signed a three-year contract with the Zurich club.

The 41-year-old coach spent his entire playing career with Grasshoppers, winning seven league titles with the Zurich side and lifting the Swiss Cup five times. He then began his first management job with FC Wil in 1997, before joining St Gallen in January 1999.

swissinfo with agencies

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