St. Pauli appoint Marcel Rapp as head coach following Alexander Blessin departure
St. Pauli have appointed former Holstein Kiel boss Marcel Rapp as their new head coach.
Rapp succeeds Alexander Blessin, who was relieved of his duties on Thursday following Pauli’s relegation to Bundesliga 2 at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
The 47-year-old spent nearly four and a half years at Kiel, guiding the club into the Bundesliga for the first time in 2024 before leaving earlier this year.
“This is a very exciting challenge and I’m very keen to get started right away on preparations for the new season,” Rapp said. “The club is ambitious and has been improving constantly in recent years.
“I want to play an active role in shaping our next steps. I’m already familiar with the stadium and fans from my time at Kiel, so I’m really excited to experience that atmosphere in charge of the home team.”
Sporting director Andreas Bornemann added: “We’re delighted to welcome Marcel as our new coach. He has a wealth of experience at this level and has already proven his ability to build teams and develop players.
“Marcel really impressed us during our talks with his ideas, vision and drive.”
Rapp also enjoyed a brief spell as Hoffenheim’s caretaker coach towards the end of the 2019/20 season. Alongside Matthias Kaltenbach and Kai Herdling, he helped the Sinsheim outfit win three of their final four matches, propelling them into sixth place and securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League the following season.
He spent the 2020/21 campaign in charge of Hoffenheim’s U19 side before taking charge of Kiel in October 2021.
