Return to the Bundesliga: Kovač becomes the new coach at VfL Wolfsburg

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Niko Kovač

Photo: Arne Dedert / dpa

Niko Kovač's return to the Bundesliga is perfect.

VfL Wolfsburg announced the signing of the former champion coach from Bayern Munich.

The 50-year-old signed a contract that runs until 2025.

As with AS Monaco, Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and the Croatian national team, his brother Robert Kovač will support him as assistant coach.

"I'm a child of the Bundesliga and I'm very keen and motivated to start another successful chapter with the Wolves," said Kovač on his return.

"He stands for consistent and success-oriented work and I am convinced that the team will bear his signature in the years to come," said VfL Managing Director Jörg Schmadtke.

Kovač should meet the high expectations in Wolfsburg

Born in Berlin, he should continue the successful work and strict principles of Oliver Glasner and Bruno Labbadia at the Volkswagen club.

Under these two coaches, VfL developed between 2018 and 2021 from being almost relegated to a participant in the Champions League.

However, the team under Mark van Bommel and Florian Kohfeldt only finished 12th last season.

Kohfeldt only succeeded the hapless van Bommel in October 2021.

The factory club was kicked out of the Champions League after the group stage before Christmas – in the medium term this should also change with Kovač, but the road is long.

The Croatian national team led Kovač to the 2014 World Cup and Eintracht Frankfurt to the 2019 DFB Cup victory. However, he had to leave FC Bayern Munich just six months after winning the league and DFB Cup double on November 3, 2019.

Players and executives like Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were no longer convinced of his work there.

Kovač had coached French first division club AS Monaco until January.

After losing in the play-offs for the Champions League and weaknesses in the league, the club parted ways with him again after a year and a half.

In his first season there he had finished third with Monaco and reached the final of the Coupe de France.

see/dpa