GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) - Schalke is bringing former United States international David Wagner back to the Bundesliga as coach.
The club says the 47-year-old Wagner, who previously coached Huddersfield in England’s Premier League, has signed a three-year contract through June 2022.
Wagner will inherit a side low on confidence after a lackluster season in which it only avoided Bundesliga relegation with a goalless draw against Augsburg last weekend. Schalke, which finished runner-up last season, hasn’t had a worse season since it was relegated in 1982-83.
The club fired Domenico Tedesco as coach following a 7-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League and turned to former coach Huub Stevens as an interim solution for the last eight games of the Bundesliga.
As a player, Wagner won the UEFA Cup with Schalke in 1997. He previously played for Mainz.
Wagner’s coaching career began when he took charge of Schalke rival Borussia Dortmund’s second team in 2011, helped by friend and former Mainz teammate Jürgen Klopp. He was appointed Huddersfield coach in November 2015 and led the side to promotion in 2017.
Wagner performed a minor miracle by keeping Huddersfield in the Premier League the following season, but Wagner and the club agreed to part ways in January with the team last and eight points from safety with 16 games remaining.
Wagner, a former forward, made eight appearances for the United States.
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