FC Augsburg: Manuel Baum will remain coach until the end of the season

After the separation from Sandro Wagner, interim solution Manuel Baum will look after FC Augsburg until the end of the season. Originally, the Head of Development & Football Innovation was only supposed to coach the Bundesliga club for three games until the winter break. However, after four points and the stabilization of the team, FC Augsburg and Baum announced the surprising turnaround in the coaching question on the day before Christmas. At first they had Bild reported about it. Baum wants to return to his official position in the summer. “We are convinced that Manuel Baum is exactly the right coach for our FC Augsburg in the current situation. He enjoys our full trust and we are very pleased that Manuel has agreed to continue the task until the end of the season. After he took over our team at the beginning of December, he did a very good job. We want to build on that together in 2026,” said Augsburg managing director Michael Ströll. Baum sees it similarly: “I really enjoyed working with our team. That’s why I’m looking forward to being FCA’s head coach for a little longer. But it’s important for me to be able to return to my original position. Until then, after the short winter break, we’ll do everything we can together to have a successful season.” After parting ways with Wagner at the beginning of December, Baum took over for three games – that was the actual plan. The 46-year-old stabilized the team with a “keep it simple” concept and led them to a total of four points in his first division comeback as coach in the games against Bayer Leverkusen (2-0), in Frankfurt (0-1) and against Werder Bremen (0-0). “The things on the sidelines are fun – like the ones a few meters further up,” remarked Baum after the home game against Bremen, letting it be known how much fun he was having as a coach again. “I’m incredibly grateful to have a role in football at all. What it is doesn’t really matter to me.”

Wagner football was only good for ten points in twelve games

The Augsburg management team was also reliably vague when it came to the question of Wagner’s successor. “We don’t rule out anything in life, not in football,” said sports director Benjamin Weber. “We deliberately didn’t set a date because we want to decide based on conviction.” Augsburg are obviously most convinced by Baum, who coached Augsburg from December 2016 to April 2019. He starts again after the short winter preparation on January 11th with an away game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. This will be followed by two home games against Union Berlin and SC Freiburg. After moving from the position of assistant coach to Julian Nagelsmann at the German national team, the 38-year-old Wagner was history again at FCA in just a few months. The Augsburg officials quickly ended the ambitious project with the prominent novice head coach in the Bundesliga after a promising start. Wagner football was only good for ten points in twelve games. The Augsburg team were also eliminated in the second round of the DFB Cup at home against second division club VfL Bochum. With only 14 points, the Augsburg team ended the year in the endangered table zone as 15th. and only three points ahead of a direct relegation zone – Baum should lead her out of this.