Niko Kovac is no longer the coach of VfL Wolfsburg. After a sporting crisis that lasted several months, the Bundesliga club parted ways with the former champion coach of FC Bayern Munich this Sunday after the 1:3 loss against FC Augsburg.
“We regret the development and believe it is necessary to give the team new impetus in order to stabilize the situation,” managing director Marcel Schäfer is quoted as saying in a statement from the club. In addition to the boss, the two assistant coaches Robert Kovac and Aaron Briggs also have to go. Bo Svensson (most recently Mainz 05), Ralph Hasenhüttl (most recently FC Southampton) and Matthias Jaissle (Al-Ahli) have been discussed as possible Kovac successors for the new season at the latest for weeks.
The separation from Kovac took place after less than two years. The 52-year-old came to Wolfsburg in 2022 to at least lead the Volkswagen club into international business and, ideally, even to win titles. But in its first season, VfL lost a Europa League place on the last matchday with a home defeat against relegated Hertha BSC. A real sporting slump followed this season. The table is currently 14th. only six points ahead of the relegation place.
In 2024, Wolfsburg are still without a win. They have only won two of their last 20 league games. Above all, Kovac didn’t get enough out of a well-staffed squad that was strengthened in the summer for more than 70 million euros in terms of play. The hoped-for sporting development never took place under him. “Of course, as head coach I am particularly disappointed that we were unable to achieve a turnaround despite promising approaches,” said Kovac.
The former Bundesliga professional and Croatian national coach had raised great expectations in Wolfsburg. He won the DFB Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018 and even the double with Bayern Munich a year later. He also led the top French club AS Monaco to qualify for the Champions League in 2021.
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But his demanding and direct nature already led to conflicts with some players in Munich and Monaco. In Wolfsburg, Kovac was criticized primarily for his frequent changes in playing system and personnel. This unsettled numerous players and prevented a stable hierarchy from being formed in the team after a change in the summer.
