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The Columbus Crew are finalizing a deal to name Henrik Rydström the club’s next head coach, sources briefed on the situation have told The Athletic.

Rydström was previously manager of Malmö, where he won two league titles, but is currently out of work after leaving the Swedish club in September.

The Athletic reported on Monday that former Rangers manager Russell Martin was among the finalists for the job.

Rydström won the league in his first two seasons with Malmö as well as the 2023-24 Swedish Cup. He departed the club after Malmö finished sixth in his third season in charge.

He was previously head coach of IK Sirius and Kalmar FF. He is a legendary player of Kalmar, where he played for two decades and made a club-record 802 appearances.

Rydström takes over from Wilfried Nancy, who departed Major League Soccer this winter to become head coach of Scottish Premiership champions Celtic. Nancy was widely regarded as the league’s best head coach before departing, winning multiple trophies and playing an attractive brand of soccer.

The Swedish manager is known for his attractive style of play, too.

“Defensively, I wanted us to be close together. Everybody wants that,” Rydström told Sky Sports in a 2024 interview. “But then I started to think that what if we could be close to each other with the ball as well? Then we can start to connect and find solutions and progress from there.”

The Crew’s roster is headlined by Diego Rossi, Wessam Abou Ali and Max Arfsten.

The Disrespected first reported the deal for Rydström was close.

Tom Bogert is a Senior Writer for The Athletic, providing exclusive, original and unique insights on MLS and the U.S. national team. He has previously written for MLSsoccer.com, The Guardian, and more.