Brighton have appointed former Bayern Munich boss Jens Scheuer as their new head coach on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The Seagulls have been without a manager since October after Hope Powell stepped down following a difficult start to the Women’s Super League season.

Amy Merricks has since served as interim boss, but the team are currently one place above the relegation zone with just seven points from eight games.

Their last game, at the start of December, saw them suffer a fifth loss of the campaign as they were beaten 3-1 by Manchester City.

Scheuer, who joins the club subject to receiving a work permit, has plenty of experience in women’s football, having previously coached at Bayern and Freiburg, winning the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2021 with Bayern.

The 44-year-old told the Brighton website: “It’s a great feeling, I’m very excited to work for the team and the club. The facilities are the best I have ever seen.

“I had good talks with [technical director] David Weir. The first time we spoke it was clear for me that I wanted to come here and build a team which can grow and move up the table. I’m very excited for the future and can’t wait to get started.”

Women’s chair Michelle Walder added: “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Jens as our new head coach of the women’s team.

“He has great experience at the very top level of women’s football in Europe, winning the Bundesliga in 2021 at Bayern Munich. He consistently finished in the top two during his three seasons there and guided them to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2021.

“Jens was our number one target from the start and the process was similar to the one we recently undertook when appointing Roberto de Zerbi as men’s head coach.

“The excellent results during Amy Merricks’s time as interim coach and having the winter break took some of the time pressure off us, and allowed us to go through a thorough process which reaffirmed Jens as our first choice.”

Scheuer’s first game in charge will be on January 15 away to bottom side Leicester, who are yet to pick up a point this season.