Bundesliga
Who are the Bundesliga's coaches in 2024/25?
The upcoming season sees Vincent Kompany and Nuri Şahin return to the Bundesliga, but this time as coaches of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively. Freiburg will no longer have the beloved Christian Streich on the touchline - but there'll be a couple of familiar faces in the form of Ralph Hasenhüttl and Bo Svensson back in the Bundesliga. Find out more about the coaches of each team in 2024/25...
Since taking over the Bayer Leverkusen job from current Gladbach boss Gerardo Seoane in 2022, Xabi Alonso has taken to the responsibilities like a duck to water. The Spaniard's inexperience at the time of taking the job was soon forgotten about as he recorded just six losses in 26 games following his appointment in October of the 2022/23 season, in contrast to the five losses in eight games that the team started with. In his first full season as coach, Alonso may have even surprised himself, to say the least, as he led Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title without losing a single game, whilst also winning the DFB Cup and reaching the Europa League final. After coming so close to a sensational treble so early on into his coaching career, it will be interesting to see what next season holds for Alonso and his invincibles.
Son of former Germany international Dieter, and nephew of former Bayern president Uli, 41-year-old Sebastion Hoeneß became Stuttgart's third coach of the 2022/23 season when he followed on from Matarazzo and Bruno Labaddia, leading them to survival with a convincing 6-1 aggregate victory over Hamburg in the relegation play-off. The improvement in the 2023/24 season stunned the Bundesliga as the goals of Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav fired them to second place and the Champions League, their first time back in the competition since 2009/10. Hoeneß now has the challenge of preparing his team for European football alongside managing another demanding Bundesliga season without key players such as Guirassy and Waldemar Anton, but as he’s shown already in his short career, he is more than capable of rebuilding when called upon.
Bayern Munich: Vincent Kompany
With plenty of Bundesliga experience at the heart of Hamburg‘s defence, new Bayern boss Vincent Kompany replaces the experienced Thomas Tuchel in the Bayern dugout this season. The Belgian spent two years at Hamburg between 2006-2008, making 51 appearances across all competitions in that time. Kompany‘s leadership skills were clear for all to see as a player as he captained Manchester City to their first Premier League title, alongside three other league titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups during his trophy-laden spell in England. His managerial stock has also risen quickly, having taken his first job with Anderlecht in 2020 after previously being a player-coach there. A move to England followed where he guided Burnley back to the Premier League in his first full season with the Clarets.
Since becoming the Leipzig head coach in 2022 after departing Bundesliga rivals Dortmund, Marco Rose has already led his side to a DFB Cup win in the 2022/23 season followed by a Supercup win. In his first two seasons at Leipzig, Rose led The Red Bulls to 3rd and 4th place finishes while scoring a combined 141 goals in the league alone, which is testament to his ability to balance attacking talents such as Xavi Simons and Benjamin Šeško. While results have been positive in his time in Leipzig so far, Rose will be aiming to take that next step this season and challenge for the top two spots.
Having spent a large part of his career orchestrating the Dortmund midfield, Nuri Şahin now takes over the managerial reins at Signal Iduna Park. Coming through the club’s academy, Şahin went on to make 274 appearances for Dortmund before going on to play for the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool as well. At just 35, he becomes the youngest coach in the league, but boats experience as head coach of Antalyaspor in Turkey, where he oversaw 92 matches as head coach. Şahin’s coaching team also includes former Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender as well as Łukasz Piszczek - it will certainly be exciting to see the impact these bright young coaches have on this talented Dortmund team.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Dino Toppmöller
Following in the footsteps of his father Klaus Toppmöller, who led Bayer Leverkusen into the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2002, Dino Toppmöller is going into his second season in management hoping to lead Frankfurt towards success. Having been assistant to Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern, Toppmöller got his first managerial job in the Bundesliga last summer and promptly led the side to a 6th place finish. With Hugo Ekitiké and Robin Koch now having signed permanently, in addition to the capture of the exciting Can Uzun, Toppmöller will look to go as far as possible on both domestic and European fronts next season.
Hoffenheim: Pellegrino Matarazzo
Pellegrino Matarazzo guided Hoffenheim to a 7th place finish in the 2023-24 season, marking their return to European football for the first time since 2020-21. Born in the United States, Matarazzo began his playing career with the Columbia Lions before moving to Germany in 2000 to play for Bad Kreuznach. He spent the next decade in Germany, ending his playing career with Nürnberg II, where he transitioned into coaching. Matarazzo initially joined Hoffenheim as the U17 coach, then serving as an assistant to Julian Nagelsmann. In 2019, he became the head coach of Stuttgart, leading them to promotion back to the Bundesliga during his three-year tenure. Last season’s strong finish is cause for celebration, but the departure of Maximilian Beier means Matarazzo must get the best out of new signing Adam Hložek as quickly as possible if Hoffenheim are to continue their resurgence.
Heidenheim: Frank Schmidt
Heidenheim’s Frank Schmidt is the longest-serving coach out of all of the Bundesliga clubs, having taken charge of the side back in 2007 following his retirement as a player for the club. This will be Heidenheim and Schmidt’s second season in the Bundesliga - a remarkable achievement when you consider that Schmidt took over the side in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (Germany’s fifth tier). Since then, the club has risen through the divisions, culminating in promotion to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2022/2023 season as the Bundesliga 2 champions. While next season will certainly be difficult due to the departures of key men Tim Kleindienst and Jan-Niklas Beste, Heidenheim fans can take comfort in the fact that Schmidt will still be there seeking to work his magic once more.
At 36, Ole Werner ishot seat the second youngest coach in the Bundesliga behind Nuri Şahin, but comes into the new season with plenty of experience in the Werder hotseat. Werner took the position in the 2021/22 season when the club were in Bundesliga 2 and led them straight back to the Bundesliga by finishing second to Schalke. Werner then guided the side to safety in their first season back in the top flight, before just missing out on European football last season on goal difference. Werder’s consistent improvement under Werner and his ability to nurture talented players such as Justin Njinmah and the recently departed Nick Woltemade mean that his side can be optimistic going into the new campaign.
Another one of the Bundesliga’s younger coaches, Julian Schuster takes the position with big shoes to fill following the departure of legendary coach Christian Streich. After 13 years and almost 500 games as coach of Freiburg, Streich’s departure is one that will not only affect Freiburg fans but German football fans altogether. Streich is passing the baton onto 39-year-old Schuster - who is at the beginning of his managerial career. Having coached FV Löchgau’s U19 side, Schuster joined Freiburg in 2018 as a talent coordinator, a position in which he has worked side-by-side with the club’s U19 side, reserve side and first team. With a deep knowledge of the club and a desire to prove himself in his first managerial role, the next season could be exciting for Freiburg fans.
After success coaching in Denmark which saw him win the league with both Midtjylland and FC Copenhagen, as well as a Danish Cup victory with Esbjerg, Jess Thorup joined Augsburg in October 2023. After just one win in their first seven games, Thorup came in and led the side to 11th place, a steady improvement from their 15th place finish in 2022-23. With star forward Ermedin Demirović heading to Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart this summer, Thorup will face a difficult first full season in the league, although his CV suggests he’ll find a way to pull Augsburg up the table in spite of any obstacles.
After an impressive three-year spell as Ingolstadt coach where he won the Bundesliga 2 title and then finished 11th in the Bundesliga the following season, Ralph Hasenhüttl moved to Leipzig where he was tasked with bringing his high intensity, winning football to the Red Bull Arena. The 2016-17 season was Hasenhüttl’s first at the club and also the club’s first ever in the Bundesliga, yet he managed to guide them to an astounding second-place finish and a points tally of 67, their highest in the league to date. After Leipzig, the Premier League came calling as Hasenhüttl left for Southampton, where he would go on to spend four years. A slow start in his final season saw Southampton win just three times in their opening 14 games before Hasenhüttl departed. The Wolfsburg job will be Hasenhüttl’s first since his departure from the Premier League side, and it will see two ambitious parties with something to prove come together.
Mainz: Bo Henriksen
Bo Henriksen was appointed by Mainz at the start of 2024 as they looked to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga and he managed to achieve just that, meaning he will now lead the team into the 2024/25 season. This will be Henriksen’s first full season in the Bundesliga, having previously coached in Denmark and Switzerland with clubs such as FC Midtjylland and FC Zurich. Across his spells at both clubs, the Dane took charge of 110 games and was only on the losing side 26 times, a record he would surely love to repeat with Mainz, who struggled to build on their impressive 9th place finish in the 2022/23 season. Henriksen and Mainz have a tricky start, however, as they’ll face Union Berlin and another Bo eager to make a strong start to the new season, former Mainz boss Bo Svensson.
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Gerardo Seoane
A successful spell as coach of BSC Young Boys in Switzerland saw Seoane win three consecutive league titles between 2018-2021 and a Swiss Cup. It wasn’t just his side’s domestic performances that were eye catching, however, as they also beat Leverkusen home and away in the 2020/21 Europa League. Those performances must have caught the attention of senior figures at the BayArena, as Seoane was hired by Leverkusen for the 2021/22 season. In his first season, Seoane took Leverkusen to third place in the league, before being replaced by Alonso at the start of the next season. Now with Gladbach, who finished 14th last season under him, Seoane will be desperate to be back in the conversation for European football.
After a disappointing 2023/24 season, which saw Urs Fischer depart Union in November after five fantastic years at the club, Bo Svensson will lead the side in the new campaign. Svensson’s time in the Bundesliga until now has mainly been associated with Mainz where he made 90 appearances as a player before coaching their youth teams and eventually the first team for two years between 2021 and 2023. In his time as Mainz coach, Svensson oversaw 104 games and 39 wins and is now tasked with rejuvenating a Union side that finished 15th last season - down from fourth the season before. Svensson managed to bring Mainz to the brink of European football in two consecutive seasons, so while it may not be expected of him, fans will be intrigued to see whether he can bring Union back to the business end of the Bundesliga table.
Bochum’s head coach for the upcoming season will be Peter Zeidler, who joins the club having spent the previous six years in Switzerland with FC St. Gallen. Zeidler’s St. Gallen side finished in fourth place in the 2023/24 season while Bochum narrowly escaped relegation to the Bundesliga 2, with a dramatic comeback against Düsseldorf in the second leg of their relegation playoff being needed to keep them in the league. Zeidler will have plenty to work on if his side are to avoid the same fate this season but his experience across German, Austrian, French and Swiss football may provide the key to a more comfortable ride this year.
St. Pauli’s first season back in the Bundesliga will be led by Alexander Blessin, who joins the club from Belgian side Union St. Gilloise to replace their title winning coach Fabian Hürzeler, who has joined Brighton in the Premier League. Having coached Leipzig’s youth teams between 2016-2020, Blessin then went on to coach KV Oostende in Belgium and Genoa in Serie A before landing at Union St. Gilloise. In his one year at the Belgian outfit, Blessin recorded just ten losses in 58 games as his side finished seven points ahead of second second-placeplace Anderlecht in the league. While St. Pauli fans will have been disappointed at the departure of the title-winning Hürzeler, they will be getting another talented coach in his place who will be eager to impress in the Bundesliga.
Holstein Kiel: Marcel Rapp
Holstein Kiel coach Marcel Rapp has been with the club since 2021 and last season sensationally led the club back to the Bundesliga with a second place finish in the Bundesliga 2, finishing just one point behind title winners St.Pauli. Rapp’s playing career saw him represent Karslruhe, Carl Zeiss Jena and Stuttgarter Kickers to name a few, before he moved into the coaching world with Hoffenheim’s U17 side in 2013. Rapp joined Kiel in October of the 2021/22 season after eight years and 13 combined games as a caretaker coach at Hoffenheim and, while his first season at the club ended with the team in ninth, their record in the 25 games under Rapp had them in sixth place. Having never played in the Bundesliga himself, Rapp now gets the chance to manage in it and his first mission will be to keep Kiel afloat.