Sandro Wagner appointed Augsburg coach | OneFootball

Sandro Wagner replaces Jess Thorup as Augsburg coach

Sandro Wagner has been appointed coach of Bundesliga side Augsburg for the 2025/26 season as the Germany assistant coach and former Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim forward takes charge of a top-flight team for the first time.

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Wagner, 37, had already announced he would be leaving his role as assistant to Julian Nagelsmann at the conclusion of the UEFA Nations League Final Four in early June. He will now replace Jess Thorup at the WWK Arena ahead of the new Bundesliga campaign.

“My goal was to work as a head coach in the Bundesliga. My conversations with the club convinced me that this role at Augsburg was the perfect move for me. They have a clear philosophy, one that perfectly suits my style of play. I’m a young coach and I want to develop myself together with the club. The setup here in Augsburg is perfect for that.

"Like me, Augsburg are very ambitious and have strong structures and a great environment. There is a lot of potential in the team and I’m looking forward to working with them," said Wagner, who ended a playing career that also featured stints at Duisburg, Kaiserslautern, Hertha Berlin, Darmstadt and in China in 2020.

Wagner, who won eight senior caps for his country, took up his role alongside Nagelsmann after initially joining Germnay's U20 team staff as an assistant coach to Hannes Wolf. He stepped up to the senior side under interim boss Rudi Völler and before working alongside Nagelsmann from late 2023, helping to oversee their run to quarter-finals of Euro 2024.

Augsburg CEO Michael Ströll said: “We’re delighted to have secured Sandro Wagner as our new head coach – he lives and breathes football. Sandro is highly ambitious and fully committed to the direction of our club. He’s already shown in his previous jobs that he can develop teams and players. Sandro is extremely meticulous and knows how to motivate a team with his passion. We’re looking forward to working together with him.”

Thorup had been appointed in October 2023 to replace Enrico Maaßen after a poor start to the season that saw Augsburg knocked out in the DFB Cup first round by lower league opposition and register just one win from their opening seven league matches.

Thorup, who previously coached Denmark’s U21 side, Gent and Copenhagen among others, guided the club away from the relegation zone to eventually finish 11th. Augsburg finished 12th in the 2024/25 campaign, 14 points above the bottom three and nine off a European qualifying place.

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