UK Edition
Huddersfield considering Borussia Dortmund U23 coach Jan Siewert as replacement for David Wagner
The Borussia Dortmund Under-23s coach Jan Siewert is in negotiations with Huddersfield Town over their vacant manager’s job, and a decision is expected from the club in time for a new man to be in charge following Sunday’s game away to champions Manchester City.
Siewert was reported in Germany to be close to taking the job and it is understood that his representative is currently in contact with Dean Hoyle, the Huddersfield chairman, with a view to agreeing a deal. However, Huddersfield are understood to have a number of options beyond Siewert, who is their first choice.
The role of manager of Borussia Dortmund II has been a regular launchpad for careers in management in England in recent years. It was from that role Hoyle recruited David Wagner, where he had worked with his friend Jurgen Klopp, to become Huddersfield manager in 2015. Wagner’s replacement was Daniel Farke who left in July 2017 to become manager of Norwich City and was himself replaced by the 36-year-old Siewert.
Previously Siewert had worked as the Under-19s coach at the Bundesliga 2 club VfL Bochum where he was also assistant to the head coach, for the senior team. He has also managed Rot-Weis Essen who play in the fourth tier of German football. He started his career in coaching with Germany’s Under-17s and Under-18s teams. Dortmund II are currently fourth in the Regionalliga West, at level four of the German football hierarchy.
A former defensive midfielder who played lower league football in his native country, the German newspaper Bild reported that Siewert will cost Huddersfield around €300,000 in compensation to his current German club. Siewert being considered for a Premier League job – albeit at the bottom club - appears to have caused some surprise in Germany too. It demonstrates that Huddersfield want to continue the style of Wagner, who quit this week, and have been impressed by the achievements of recent German coaching imports to English football.
Huddersfield’s German director of football Olaf Rebbe left the club earlier this week. Huddersfield’s poor summer trading have left them short of goals this season but Hoyle believes that they can still make up the eight points to safety and stay in the Premier League this season. The former club captain Mark Hudson will take charge of the team for Sunday’s visit to Manchester City and said on Friday that the team had not yet given up on Premier League survival.
Hudson, seconded from coaching Huddersfield Under-23s to be caretaker manager, rejected the theory advanced by Sam Allardyce this week that the club were already doomed to relegation. Hudson said: “Sam can say what he likes, can’t he? That’s down to him, isn’t it? I don’t focus on what other people say about this club. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I know what’s in this building.
“There are 16 games left and we are all fighting, we all covering every blade of grass. We’re all working as hard as we can. If you don’t have belief, then there’s no point being in football.” After Sunday, Huddersfield next play on Jan 29, against Everton.