André Breitenreiter replaces Stefan Leitl at the Hannover helm
Hannover have moved quickly to fill the void left by the departing Stefan Leitl by appointing André Breitenreiter for a second stint as coach.
With The Reds announcing the end of the 47-year-old Leitl’s 89-game spell in charge of the team after a run of just one win in six matches, former Hannover attacker Breitenreiter was re-installed. The tactician’s previous stay at Die Roten brought promotion to the Bundesliga in 2017, and club officials are hoping the former Paderborn, Schalke, FC Zürich and Huddersfield Town boss can repeat that feat this time around, with Hannover sitting in seventh spot in the second-division standings.
"André has proven several times in his career that he can lead a team consistently, stably and successfully through a season at a high level of performance - especially in the decisive games,” Hannover’s sporting director Marcus Mann said. “He conveyed desire for 96 from the first contact and we want to share the great opportunity that Hannover has in the second half of the season.”
For his part, Breitenreiter – a DFB Cup winner with The Reds as a player – explained, "Everyone knows about my special connection to Hannover 96. I am a Hanoverian - as a player and as a coach, I have experienced many unforgettable moments with the club. I take on this task with respect, but also with the great conviction that we can have a very successful second half of the season together."
Earlier in the day, the club announced former coach Leitl’s departure 17 games into the Bundesliga 2 season. "This was certainly not an easy decision to make,” Mann said. “Looking at the table, we are definitely within reach of the top, but to be honest, we have not managed to achieve real consistency and we have had some significant disappointments.
"The belief that we can challenge for promotion until the end of the season in our current set-up was no longer completely assured, and therefore, in my view, the best and most honest way ahead was to make a clear decision.”
Hannover return to training on 2 January while they will recommence their 2024/25 campaign away to basement side Jahn Regensburg.
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