Heiko Vogel appointed new Greuther Fürth head coach
Greuther Fürth have moved quickly to replace Thomas Kleine and Milorad Pekovic by bringing in ex-Basel head coach Heiko Vogel.
Kleine and co-coach Pekovic were dismissed following the 3-0 home loss to Bochum which pushed Fürth into the automatic relegation zone on 13 points from 14 games.
Vogel takes over after over two years away from first-team coaching. The 50-year-old, whose last job was as caretaker boss back at Basel, whom he led to a Swiss domestic double in 2012, has signed a two-year deal through to summer 2027.
Vogel has also coached Uerdingen, Austria's Sturm Graz, the Borussia Mönchengladbach reserves and Bayern Munich's second team, U19s and academy. However, the Fürth job is his first in charge of a club in either of Germany's top two divisions.
"Heiko brings a wealth of experience, both in the professional arena and in working with talented players," said Fürth sporting director Stephan Fürstner. "We're convinced that, together with his coaching team, he will be able to instil structure in the team and also promote the development of each individual player.
Fürth have won just four times in the league this season ahead of their upcoming trip to local rivals Nuremberg. Since their relegation from the Bundesliga at the end of 2021/22, the Clover Leaves have finished 12th, 8th and 13th.
"I'm very much looking forward to joining [Fürth] and want to help our team get back on track. We'll give our all to achieve this," Vogel enthused. "We have a special match coming up this weekend and will prepare for it meticulously."
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