Wolfsburg part company with coach Andries Jonker
Wolfsburg have parted company with coach Andries Jonker after the Lower Saxony-based side’s weekend reverse away to Stuttgart left them 14th in this season's standings.
Brought in to succeed Valerien Ismael with the Wolves sitting just two points above the relegation zone last February, the 54-year-old Jonker oversaw four wins before helping the team maintain their top-flight status thanks to a two-legged relegation play-off triumph against Eintracht Braunschweig in May.
Watch: Wolfsburg were held by newly-promoted Hannover on Matchday 3:
“Not an easy decision”
“This decision has not come on the back of the performance against Stuttgart but comes down to the palpable stagnation in the development of the team. We would like to thank Andries Jonker and his staff for what they did late on last season to save VfL Wolfsburg from relegation,” said board spokesman Wolfgang Hotze.
Chairman Dr. Tim Schumacher added, “It was not an easy decision for any of us to take this decision so early in the season. However, we were unanimous in our internal discussions that we wanted to have a new coaching team going forward.”
New coach imminent
As well as Jonker, his assistants Uwe Speidel and Frederik Ljungberg have also left the club, who have announced that a new coach will be in place to take training on Monday afternoon. “We have two tough games coming up this week and so cannot waste any time. That means no caretaker boss but having a new permanent coach in place immediately,” sporting director Olaf Rebbe said.
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The 2009 Bundesliga champions have failed to kick on since then, however, collecting just one win in four top-flight games this season away to Eintracht Frankfurt.
A former assistant to Louis van Gaal and interim coach at Bayern Munich, Jonker took charge of 19 games in all competitions, winning seven, in what was his second stint at Wolfsburg. The Wolves next host Werder Bremen on Tuesday.