Wolfsburg hires surprise Dutch Cup winner Paul Simonis as new coach

WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Wolfsburg hired Paul Simonis as its new coach on Thursday after he won the Netherlands’ top cup competition with his previous club Go Ahead Eagles.

The 40-year-old Simonis joins on a two-year contract with a task to “realign VfL Wolfsburg with fresh impetus,” managing director for sport Peter Christiansen said.

Simonis’ Dutch Cup win with Go Ahead Eagles in April was a surprise for a club which hadn’t won a major trophy in 92 years, and came in his first career head coach role. The team’s league finish of seventh was also its best in decades.

He replaced Ralph Hasenhüttl after the former Southampton and Leipzig coach was fired with two games remaining of the Bundesliga. Wolfsburg finished 11th under stand-in Daniel Bauer.

Simonis will be Wolfsburg’s sixth permanent coach since 2021, the last year when it qualified for the men’s Champions League.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.
The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.