On Saturday, second division club Arminia Bielefeld announced that the collaboration with head coach Mitch Kniat would end after four years. It is still unclear who will inherit the successful coach who led the DSC as a third division team to the cup final in Berlin, promotion to the 2nd division and subsequent relegation. Now four names are doing the rounds around the Alm.
After the club-affiliated “Neue Westfälische” reported immediately after the Kniat explosion at the weekend that Marcel Rapp, who most recently worked at Holstein Kiel, would probably not take over the helm at Arminia Bielefeld, the coaching rumor mill in East Westphalia almost boiled over. According to “Bild”, four names in particular should be in table 13. have been very popular over the past season.
In a latest report, the tabloid brings into play Tobias Strobl from SC Verl and Stefan Kleineheismann from the second representative of TSG Hoffenheim, two trainers who knew how to impress with their respective employers in the last third division season. Kleineheismann also knows the DSC from his Bundesliga days as an assistant coach under Frank Kramer.
Arminia Bielefeld: Separation from Kniat after three years
Also according to “Bild” on the Bielefeld coaching list are the unemployed Horst Steffen (most recently at Werder Bremen) and Thomas Reis (until February at Samsunspor), who already know the German lower house from their times at SV Elversberg, VfL Bochum and FC Schalke 04. Whoever sports director Michael Mutzel chooses in the end: the legacy that Mitch Kniat left behind after three years with the East Westphalians is great.
As the club officially announced on Saturday, the collaboration was ended by mutual agreement after intensive discussions and a comprehensive analysis of the sporting future. The assistant coaches Dani Jara and Janik Steringer are also leaving the club. “We would like to thank Mitch and his team for the work they have done over the past three years,” managing director Mutzel was quoted as saying.
Ultimately, however, both sides came to different assessments of the long-term direction. “After several discussions and joint analysis, we also discussed the further development steps and realized that we are not the same when it comes to planning for the future,” Mutzel continued.
That’s why they decided together to “end the collaboration with the positive end to the season and the success of staying in the league.”
