As he has done many times since his last head coaching appointment at Hertha BSC, veteran German head coach Felix Magath has placed himself in contention for a vacant head coaching position. This time, the 72-year-old is ready to coach former club Werder Bremen if need be.
Werder Bremen seek an external, experienced solution
In his Sunday media appearances following the Horst Steffen sacking, Werder licensing chief Clemens Fritz explicitly ruled out the route other Bundesliga clubs have opted to take this season. Borussia Mönchengladbach (Eugen Polanski), VfL Wolfsburg (Daniel Bauer), and Augsburg (Manuel Baum) opted to retain their interim head coaches. Eintracht Frankfurt have gone for a complete unknown in Albert Riera.
Werder, like Bayer Leverkusen (Kasper Hjulmand) and Mainz (Urs Fischer) want someone with a proven track record. Magath – who did help Hertha avoid relegation in his last coaching stint – was less successful in a similar “Feuerwehrmann” role at Bremen. During the 1998/99 campaign, Magath ultimately had to make way for Bremen coaching legend Thomas Schaaf.
“The goal is clearly an external solution,” Fritz remarked during a Sunday media round table. “We know what we need. We need an experienced man who knows that situation.“
Felix Magath again ready to work the touchline
Magath’s name has cropped up numerous times since Hertha escaped relegation via the 2021/22 promotion-relegation playoff. Every time one of Magath’s former clubs has required a coach (Wolfsburg, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Schalke, Frankfurt, and Nürnberg), the former West German international’s name gets thrown into the mix.
At present, Magath worked as a sporting director at his hometown club of Viktoria Aschaffenburg; the famous Bavarian outfit that produced German phenom Lennart Karl. Magath referenced a recent speech given by German chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) when speaking about the prospect of taking over at Werder Bremen again.
“Our chancellor says we should work more,” Magath told RTL. “I’m happy to make myself available and say, ‘I want to work more’. I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I believe I can help any club in the Bundesliga. I still feel reasonably fit. Obviously not the way I was 40 years ago, but I still think I have a clear head. Hence, I’m not averse to the idea.“
