Bundesliga
Mark van Bommel to succeed Oliver Glasner at Wolfsburg
Former Bayern Munich and Netherlands midfielder Mark van Bommel will replace Oliver Glasner as Wolfsburg head coach.
Van Bommel, who won two Bundesliga titles as a player, has signed a two-year deal through to summer 2023. He replaces Glasner - who has joined Eintracht Frankfurt - in the role after the Austrian guided the Wolves back to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2015/16.
"I'm really looking forward to working for Wolfsburg and I'm excited about my new environment, the people and the task that awaits me," Van Bommel told the club's website.
Van Bommel inherits a Wolfsburg side that has scarcely been out of the Bundesliga's top four in 2020/21. Boasting the second meanest defence in the division, the Wolves qualified for the Champions League group stage for only the third time in their history.
"The ideas and ideas of those responsible are identical to my view and I can identify very well with the path the club has taken. Being able to work as a coach in the Bundesliga, in which I have played for so long, is a great honour and challenge for me, which I will tackle together with everyone involved with a lot of joy and great commitment."
Van Bommel enjoyed a storied playing career, which began in his native Holland with Fortuna Sittard and PSV Eindhoven. After lifting the 2005/06 Champions League during a one-season stint at Barcelona, he moved to Bayern, where he played under Felix Magath, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jürgen Klinsmann, Jupp Heynckes, Andreis Jonker and countryman Louis van Gaal.
Watch: Oliver Glasner's Wolfsburg under the tactical microscope
A Bundesliga-DFB Cup double winner in 2007/08 and 2009/10, van Bommel went on to sample further club gold in Italy with AC Milan, getting his hands on the 2010/11 Serie A title, before seeing out his playing days back at PSV. An integral part of father-in-law Bert van Marwijk's Netherlands team that reached the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, he hung up his boots in summer 2013 to pursue a career in coaching.
Van Bommel's first post was as Netherlands U17s assistant. He also worked as van Marwijk's right-hand man in the Saudi Arabia and Australia dugouts, either side of steering the PSV U19s to the 2017/18 league title. He took his first head coach's role at PSV in summer 2018, claiming a 59 per cent win ratio over his 75 competitive matches in charge, before being let go midway through the 2019/20 campaign.