Nagelsmann takes over at Hoffenheim
February 11, 2016
Julian Nagelsmann will fill the coaching void at Hoffenheim, the club confirming on Thursday the 28-year-old coach has signed a contract until June, 2019. His predecessor, Huub Stevens, stepped down on Wednesday for health reasons.
"Julian - who not only wants to, but can take charge - will give the team a totally new impulse," said Alexander Rosen, Hoffenheim's director of football, in a club statement. "He is also the optimal appointment for TSG in this precarious position in the league."
Nagelsmann was due to succeed Stevens at the end of the 2015-16 season after Markus Gisdol was fired in October. Nagelsmann leaves his post with the Hoffenheim U19 team, who are currently second behind 1860 Munich in the southwest region of the U19 Bundesliga.
After a short playing career with FC Issing, Augsburg, and 1860 Munich, Nagelsmann became an assistant coach with 1860 Munich's U17 team in 2008. He joined the Hoffenheim coaching staff two years later, working his way from the U16 level to the U19 level and even becoming an assistant coach under Gisdol in 2012.
Nagelsmann lead Hoffenheim training on Thursday as the team prepared for their trip to Werder Bremen on Saturday. Currently in 17th and five points behind Bremen in the table, Hoffenheim need a win in order to keep their Bundesliga dreams alive.
"I know the challenge of our current table situation will once again be hard. I am not afraid," Naglemann said. "I am excited to work with the team and, through my nature, to be able to once again create a new attraction."