SINSHEIM --
Relegation-threatened
Hoffenheim made 28-year-old Julian Nagelsmann the youngest ever coach in the
Bundesliga on Thursday.
Yet to even earn
his coaching credentials from the German football federation (DFB), Nagelsmann
was originally supposed to take over next season, but his appointment was
brought forward, a day after Huub Stevens stepped down for health reasons.
Following
''intensive talks,'' Hoffenheim gave Nagelsmann a deal through June 2019.
''We have a duty of
care to the club and, of course, to the people involved. Together with Julian,
we already went through all the risks involved last autumn and we've now
decided to start our joint course earlier,'' Hoffenheim CEO Peter Goerlich
said.
Hoffenheim was five
points off the relegation-playoff place and seven points from safety after 20
rounds of the Bundesliga.
''I know about this
tremendous challenge that will be even harder due to the current table
situation,'' said Nagelsmann, who added that he was nevertheless ''not worried.
I'm looking forward to the team and giving it a boost through my work.''
Nagelsmann is
highly regarded after almost a decade coaching the youth sides of 1860 Munich
and then Hoffenheim. He was Hoffenheim assistant coach in 2012-13. The DFB and
German football league have both approved the appointment.
As a player, Nagelsmann
lined up for Bavarian sides Augsburg and 1860 Munich before turning his
attention to coaching.
The 62-year-old
Stevens resigned on Wednesday due to heart rhythm irregularities. He confirmed
his coaching career was over.
Stevens took over
at the end of October after Markus Gisdol was fired, but couldn't improve the
side's second-to-last position.
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