After the abrupt separation from coach Sandro Wagner, FC Augsburg is not planning to have Manuel Baum as his successor permanently. The declared goal of those responsible is to hire a head coach who will continue the course the Bundesliga club set in the summer.
“It is important to emphasize that we from the club – and also Manu himself – said that he is available on a temporary basis. He also wants to return to the position that we have created here,” said managing director Michael Ströll before the first training session under the interim coach on Tuesday afternoon.
Ströll explained the end of the experiment with Wagner after a few months with the “dynamics” of the weekend recovery after the clear 3-0 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim. “If the conviction is no longer there, you have to make a decision as a club,” he said.
Project with Wagner “didn’t work”
At the end of the discussions with Wagner, who was also doubtful, there was “no alternative”. “What we hoped for in the summer didn’t work out,” said Ströll about the attempt with the dazzling figure of Wagner.
“We have ten points after twelve match days.” The decision in favor of Wagner “wasn’t right”. The managing director called a rumored severance payment of three million euros for Wagner “a dubious number”.
Sports director Benjamin Weber said they are now grateful that Baum is doing it “on a temporary basis”. This gives the club peace of mind for a permanent solution. “It’s not the case that we now have the coach at the push of a button,” said Ströll about a list of candidates: “We want to choose the right coach.”
We already have ideas, said Weber. The declared goal is to consistently continue the realignment that was initiated before the season with active football and young players. “The search for a successor goes exactly in this direction,” said the sports director.
Baum brings “a lot of experience” with him
The 46-year-old Baum was head coach at FCA from 2016 to 2019. He is currently head of development and football innovation at the club. Baum is “very communicative, down-to-earth” and has “a lot of experience,” which clearly sets him apart from the 38-year-old Bundesliga novice Wagner.
Baum will be 14th in the table. initially coaching in the last three games of the year against Bayer Leverkusen, at Eintracht Frankfurt and against Werder Bremen. “We will put all our manpower into the three games,” said Weber.