At their previous clubs: How long Bundesliga managers lasted | OneFootball

The coaching market is ruthless. If things don’t go well for a few games, you can find yourself on the chopping block or, in the worst case, have to pack your bags immediately. That makes it all the more impressive when someone manages to hold onto their spot on the bench for a long time at one or even several clubs. 

That’s why we took a look at the average tenure of Bundesliga coaches at their respective clubs. Who is virtually unsackable, and who has had to pack their bags frequently? 

For the ranking, both head coach positions and other coaching roles were considered. Of course, the number also depends on how long and in what capacity someone has been involved in (professional) football. 

18th Place: Merlin Polzin (HSV) – 0.78 years

Before joining Hamburger SV, Polzin worked with various youth teams at VfL Osnabrück, primarily as an assistant coach. 

17th Place: Sandro Wagner (FC Augsburg) – 0.86 years

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Wagner achieved promotion to the 3. Liga with SpVgg Unterhaching on his second attempt, before supporting Julian Nagelsmann as assistant coach for the German national team. This summer, he took over at FCA. 

16th Place: Paul Simonis (VfL Wolfsburg) – 1.07 years

Simonis began his coaching career in the youth sector at Sparta Rotterdam. As head coach of Go Ahead Eagles, he won the Dutch Cup last season.

15th Place: Christian Ilzer (TSG Hoffenheim) – 1.21 years

Unlike Simonis, Wagner, and Polzin, Ilzer has already managed several teams as head coach. Before joining TSG Hoffenheim, his stops included SV Hartberg, Wolfsberger AC, Austria Wien, and Sturm Graz. 

14th Place: Eugen Polanski (Borussia Mönchengladbach) – 1.33 years

St. Gallen as assistant and Gladbach’s reserve team are his only coaching stations so far. 

13th Place: Alexander Blessin (FC St. Pauli) – 1.33 years

KV Oostende, CFC Genoa, and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise were his stops before taking over at FC St. Pauli. The Stuttgart native hasn’t stayed long at any professional club so far. However, he spent a full eight years in the youth department at RB Leipzig. 

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12th Place: Ole Werner (RB Leipzig) – 1.45 years

Werner stayed a bit longer at his professional coaching stations. After two years at Holstein Kiel and four years at Werder Bremen, it was time for a change.

11th Place: Niko Kovač (BVB) – 1.49 years

Borussia Dortmund is his fourth Bundesliga club, after previous stints with Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich, and VfL Wolfsburg. He’s also one of the few coaches to have managed a national team. 

10th Place: Steffen Baumgart (Union Berlin) – 1.68 years

His notable stops were SC Paderborn, 1. FC Köln, and Hamburg SV. His tenures have gradually shortened. At HSV, it was over after just under eight months. 

9th Place: Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich) – 1.72 years

RSC Anderlecht and FC Burnley had the pleasure of having the current Bayern coach on the sidelines. 

8th Place: Lukas Kwasniok (1. FC Köln) – 1.73 years

One season each at Jena and Saarbrücken contrasts with his longest stint at SC Paderborn. There, he decided against an extension with the East Westphalians after nearly four years, even before the season ended. Shortly after, he took over at 1. FC Köln. 

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7th Place: Sebastian Hoeneß (VfB Stuttgart) – 1.81 years

He led Bayern’s reserves to the 3rd division championship in one year. After that, he was in charge at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim before moving to VfB. 

6th Place: Julian Schuster (SC Freiburg) – 1.90 years

He took on the tough legacy of Christian Streich in Freiburg, having already spent several years as Streich’s assistant. He also worked in the club’s youth sector. His tenures actually vary, as Schuster sometimes held multiple roles at once. 

5th Place: Dino Toppmöller (Eintracht Frankfurt) – 1.91 years

Before working alongside Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, Toppmöller was under contract with F91 Dudelange and Royal Excelsior Virton. 

4th Place: Horst Steffen (Werder Bremen) – 2.06 years

He only took over at Werder this summer, which automatically lowers his average tenure. Seven years at Elversberg is already impressive. There were also shorter stints at Stuttgarter Kickers, Preußen Münster, and Chemnitzer FC. 

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3rd Place: Kasper Hjulmand (Bayer Leverkusen) – 2.49 years

The newest Bundesliga coach was at Mainz 05 after the Klopp era and spent three seasons each at FC Nordsjælland. His last job before joining Leverkusen was as head coach of the Danish national team, which he led for four years.

2nd Place: Bo Henriksen (Mainz 05) – 3.56 years

Another Dane in the top 3. Especially in his early coaching positions at Brønshøj BK (7 years) and AC Horsens (6 years), he was much more settled than at FC Midtjylland or FC Zürich. 

Frank Schmidt (1. FC Heidenheim) – 18.09 years

No one can match this man’s loyalty. Since 2007, Schmidt has seen and experienced everything with the club from the Brenz. Three times. He’s been so rooted in this club that even the club’s name has changed since he started. Schmidt is the longest-serving coach in the top 10 leagues worldwide. For 6,612 days, Schmidt has stood on the sidelines for 1. FC Heidenheim. 

Will Paul Simonis be able to last that long with the Wolves? And could Vincent Kompany even overtake Bo Henriksen in the coming years thanks to his contract extension? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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