After a messed up first half of the season and the defeat at the start of the second half of the season, Nuri Sahin’s chair at Borussia Dortmund is shaking more clearly than ever. Recently, numerous successor names were mentioned around BVB, including senior national team assistant coach Sandro Wagner. Now the DFB has reacted to the speculation surrounding the former Bundesliga professional.
Borussia Dortmund is still in crisis. The 0-2 defeat at the start of the second half of the season at Eintracht Frankfurt marked the third defeat in 2025. BVB coach Nuri Sahin is counted. No wonder that possible successors for Sahin have been floating around in the rumor mill for a few days. As “Bild” recently reported, Sandro Wagner is said to be one of the candidates. But would the former Bundesliga professional (including FC Bayern, TSG Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen) and current assistant to national coach Julian Nagelsmann even be available?
Probably not, as DFB managing director Sport Andreas Rettig emphasizes in the current issue of “kicker”. “First of all, Sandro will begin his football teacher training on the DFB campus in Frankfurt. This creates the formal prerequisites for taking over a club,” explained Rettig and added: “In addition: Sandro is a person of conviction.”
The DFB official was alluding to Wagner’s work as Nagelsmann’s assistant coach. “I don’t know where he should move prematurely. Of course he will want to carry the piano alone at some point. But certainly not now and not before 2026,” said Rettig with a view to the World Cup.
Wagner himself recently said in “Spiegel” that he has no intention of working as Nagelsmann’s assistant forever. “But at the moment it’s perfect for me, I can learn a lot from the top people around me,” explained the 37-year-old and added: “The 2026 World Cup is a cool goal.”
DFB official praises Wagner’s “quality”
A few days ago, Rettig had already struck a similar tone on “Sport1” when he was asked about the speculation about Wagner at the DFL’s annual reception.
“We assume that Sandro will stay with us for a long time,” the DFB sports director explained last week and revealed that Wagner “was recently with Rudi [Völler] spoke, there are no signs at all.”
At the same time, Rettig praised the 37-year-old. The fact that his name is being played – as it is now at BVB – shows “what quality we have,” said the 61-year-old.
For months there have been rumors about the future of the sought-after assistant coach, who has already been traded at VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim in the past. So far, however, all interested parties have been rejected.