New David Wagner update may interest Huddersfield Town & Norwich City supporters | OneFootball

Former Norwich City head coach David Wagner is set to return to work, just weeks after being linked with Huddersfield Town.

Former Huddersfield Town and Norwich City head coach David Wagner is reportedly set to become the new head of youth development at German side RB Leipzig.

That's according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, who claims that Wagner is set to replace Manuel Baum in the academy role at the Red Bull Arena, and the move will mark his return to work after over a year out of the game.

Wagner was sacked by Norwich last May after 18 months in charge at Carrow Road, with his dismissal coming less than 24 hours after his side suffered a 4-0 play-off semi-final second leg defeat at Leeds United.

The 53-year-old has been linked with a host of jobs since his Canaries axe, including the South Korea national team, St Pauli, Plymouth Argyle, Southampton and Rangers, while he was even said to have been offered the chance to return to Huddersfield last month, but the Terriers have since appointed Lee Grant as their new manager.

While Wagner is yet to sign his contract with RB Leipzig, he is expected to take over as the club's new academy chief, and he will work under close friend Jürgen Klopp, who is Red Bull's global head of soccer.

David Wagner set for RB Leipzig role after Huddersfield Town and Norwich City spells

Wagner began his coaching career as the manager of Borussia Dortmund's reserve team, and after four years in the role, he made the step up to senior management with Huddersfield in November 2015.

The German enjoyed a hugely successful spell at the John Smith's Stadium, leading the Terriers to promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in the 2016-17 campaign before keeping them in the top flight the following season, but he resigned in January 2019 with the club sitting bottom of the table.

After stints with Young Boys and Schalke, Wagner returned to English football when he took over at Norwich in January 2023, but despite guiding the club to a sixth-placed finish in the Championship in the 2023-24 season, he never fully managed to win over the Carrow Road faithful, and he was dismissed after the comprehensive play-off defeat against Leeds.

Wagner has attracted plenty of interest over the past 12 months, but he reportedly turned down the chance to replace Wayne Rooney at Plymouth in January, and it seems he also rejected the opportunity to return to Huddersfield last month after owner Kevin Nagle approached him about the possibility of coming back to the John Smith's Stadium.

However, Wagner is now set to return to football with RB Leipzig, and having attended a conference and given a joint presentation with Klopp at the Wings Cup youth tournament earlier this year, perhaps the signs of a potential link-up between the pair have been there for some time.

Championship clubs may be disappointed by David Wagner, RB Leipzig news

It is easy to see why Wagner has been tempted by the chance to return to his native Germany and work with Klopp at RB Leipzig, but he arguably still has plenty to offer in a first-team managerial role.

Wagner did an outstanding job at Huddersfield, and although he had a strained relationship with the Norwich fan base, he deserved much more credit for his work at Carrow Road, with the Canaries' struggles since his departure last summer underlining just how well he did to get them in the top six.

As shown by his work with Borussia Dortmund's academy, Wagner has a proven track record of developing young players, so he will no doubt be a success at RB Leipzig, but there may be some Championship owners who are disappointed that he is now off the market.