“The force surprised me”
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Marcel Klos had already seen and experienced a lot before joining 1. FC Kaiserslautern as sports director. Looking at the entries in the Transfermarkt profile does not suggest that this man is only 36 years old. But Klos’ career took off in quick succession. He worked in various roles at RB Leipzig, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Hamburger SV, Vitesse Arnheim and Genoa CFC. And the Bonn native has been working for the Red Devils since March 2025. How did he manage everything to this day? “Sometimes I ask myself that,” laughs Klos in his answer in an interview with TM. “The last ten years in my career have always been full throttle. That’s how I am as a guy. I always give and expect 100 percent. That’s my nature. I’m very determined and professional, there’s no right or left. I always want to achieve the goals I’ve set for myself.”
Klos was a scout, coordinator in youth scouting, assistant coach, senior assistant to the sports director, technical director – and now sports director. It’s not that easy to decide on a favorite role. Or? “It was an intensive development and decision-making process, during which I naturally questioned myself, as I completed my coaching licenses at the German Sport University in Cologne alongside my Sport and Performance studies because I wanted to become a coach,” reveals Klos and says: “I started out as a youth coach at the Cologne Youth Football School and was then able to work as a U17 assistant coach at Fortuna Düsseldorf and as U19 assistant coach in Leipzig. During my time in Leipzig I met Johannes Spors, who had come from TSG Hoffenheim as chief scout. We immediately had a great relationship and constructive discussions about management and scouting, so I looked into this area more intensively for the first time and ultimately moved into scouting and management. About the change, suddenly not anymore I had to get used to being on the training pitch every day because my goal of working as a coach was still present.”
A process that didn’t happen overnight, quite the opposite. “That lasted throughout my time in the HSV scouting department, but when I moved to Vitesse Arnheim I realized that I really liked and liked the topics of squad planning, leadership, management and working closely with the team.” From then on it was clear: “I want to develop further in this area, gain professional experience and become a sports director at some point.”
Via Genoa to FCK
The career of Marcel Klos
To overview
Klos’ career path is closely linked to that of the 43-year-old Heidelberg Spors, who has been working as Group Technical Director at Southampton FC since February. Both met for the first time at RB Leipzig at the end of 2015 and immediately found a connection. Klos says: “Johannes, who was and is an absolute expert in all of his positions and areas of responsibility, was my mentor for over ten years. He involved me in many tasks and always trusted me. We were in daily contact and were always able to work professionally next door. I was able to learn a lot at his side when it came to communication structures, stress management, leadership and the strategic planning of a squad and a club. It was a very educational time.”
Klos could have followed Spors to Southampton, but went to FCK
In a resilient relationship, things can get very heated – and that was the case with Klos and Spors. “It was a good fit in terms of people and content, but there were still disagreements – but that’s how it has to be. Friction brings you forward. Of course there would also have been the possibility of following Johannes to Southampton. But I felt ready for a new challenge,” says Klos.
A place had become available in the sporting leadership of the second division club 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Technical director Enis Hajri unexpectedly resigned in December 2024. Klos, meanwhile, worked as senior management assistant at Genoa CFC for almost two years and as technical director at the Ligurians since the beginning of 2024. “And so the opportunity arose for me to take the next step as sports director. I think this step always requires development and the reward for successful work. This didn’t happen overnight, but was a process. Thomas Hengen and I were already in contact because we knew each other from the network. That’s how our discussions about a possible collaboration in Kaiserslautern began,” says Klos.
Marcel Klos (l.) worked for Genoa CFC between February 2022 and February 2025 before his involvement in Kaiserslautern
As part of his commitment, he was said to have been able to “gain comprehensive experience that I will hopefully be able to successfully bring to my new role at FCK.” Lautern’s managing director Hengen, on the other hand, was looking forward to an “experienced specialist who would be a valuable asset with his international expertise”.
How can Klos specifically help the traditional club? “It’s primarily about joint professional and structured work. My profile brings with it knowledge of international networks and innovative work, as well as insights into other top leagues. I was able to gain my experience abroad for a total of five years at Vitesse Arnheim and CFC Genoa. Of course, I benefit from this time because it is an absolute win-win situation for us, as I try to expand my networks and my To use expertise for our benefit.”
He gained enough of this expertise during his previous positions in Arnhem and Genoa, which Klos therefore looks back on positively: “The time at Vitesse was very successful, crowned with fourth place, the cup final and the first qualification for the Conference League. Together with Johannes Spors and Thomas Letsch, we had a clear playing philosophy and the vision of bringing the club to an international level. We were able to To achieve this goal, put together a squad with, among others, Loïs Openda and Armando Broja. Daniel Ebbert, the chief scout, and Jan Fießer, the assistant coach at the time, completed the team. Looking back, it’s nice to see how each individual has developed.”
Klos then dealt with sometimes completely different orders of magnitude at the CFC. “In Genoa we were dealing with a much larger and stronger league, with a very large organizational structure and significantly more investment. Of course, we also implemented our playing philosophy and the professional structure of a club in Exact, brought in young, talented players and focused on the development of the coaches in order to create sustainability. It was exciting to achieve direct promotion again and to build up the squad and the club in such a way that We were then able to secure relegation in Serie A twice without any major problems and sell players for over 100 million euros,” says Klos.
Klos’ responsibility at 1. FC Kaiserslautern: Profile has matured over the years
Before the conversation with the new FCK manager, the author of this text took the liberty of asking “ChatGPT” what areas of responsibility Klos has to deal with in the Palatinate. The answer was extensive. The fields mentioned: “Scouting & Talent Promotion”, “Interlinking Young Talents/Licensing Area”, “Structural Improvement/Professionalization” and “Network & International Experience”. When asked, Klos agrees. Everything is right.
Because: “It is one of my strengths to cover many competencies in many areas. My profile has matured over the years. That was the basis in the discussions with Thomas Hengen. A sports director was sought who would internationalize, professionalize and innovatively set up the structures in Kaiserslautern in very close collaboration with the managing director. It’s about setting guard rails, developing employees, but also about giving leadership and to let the departments work within the organizational structure.”
This is unique and I have never experienced a team and a club being so closely connected to the fans.
Everything sounds good and sensible, but how are things working in Kaiserslautern, in this glorious and emotional club that has settled between the glorious past and the second division present with the hope of more?
“It was already clear to me that I was coming into a hot environment and a huge, traditional club,” says Klos and explains: “The power of the stadium and the spectators surprised me again in a positive sense. This is unique and I have never experienced a team and a club being so closely connected to the fans. This sparks an incredible energy, which can also be seen at our home games. Otherwise, I prepared professionally for the task. Me was aware that the FCK had come out of bankruptcy and was promoted from the 3rd league. Thomas Hengen did a fantastic job and led the club into the top 7 of the 2nd Bundesliga. It’s clear that there is huge potential here.”
By Philipp Marquardt
Coming soon: Sports director Marcel Klos speaks in a Transfermarkt interview about his rapid start at FCK, his approach to squad planning for 2025/26, the top newcomers Ivan Prtajin and Naatan Skyttä and the long-term goal of promotion to the Bundesliga. He also praises coach Torsten Lieberknecht.