Trainer introduced at FCA
Despite the false start to this Bundesliga season, new coach Jess Thorup sees great potential at FC Augsburg. “You have high ambitions. We now also have new people in the club who say, now we have to take the next step,” said the 53-year-old when he was introduced on Monday. He referred to Marinko Jurendic, who has been in office as sports director since the summer.
Jurendic emphasized that the new coach, who was experienced in the Champions League, had proven “that he can develop teams”. Jurendic is therefore hoping for more than just a relegation battle in Augsburg. “We all have this longing.” After seven match days and five points, the FCA is only in 15th place in the table – in 2021/22 and 2019/20 they started the season with the same low number of points, but were always able to stay in the class hold.
“You see a team that maybe hasn’t won that much for a long time. A little bit of self-confidence is still lacking, but the important thing for me is potential,” said Thorup. “And I see great potential in the club and in the individual players.” With a squad value of 121 million euros, the Fuggerstadt team are eleventh in the league, the most valuable professional in the team is captain Ermedin Demirovic with 12 million euros.
Thorup knows Dorsch from Ghent – Jurendic feels “a lot of enthusiasm”
Thorup has previously coached in his Danish home Esbjerg FB, the country’s U20 and U21, FC Midtjylland and, most recently, FC Copenhagen until September 2022. In between, he worked in Belgium at KAA Gent and KRC Genk. In Gent he worked with FCA midfielder Niklas Dorsch. At Denmark’s U21, he helped Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen and Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Højbjerg take the next steps in their careers. Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, a Bundesliga team helped ensure that Thorup lost his job a little over a year ago. Because the record champions completely botched the start of the season in the league and, among other things, also lost 3-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, the coach had to leave.
Augsburg gave the new hope and successor to Enrico Maaßen, who had to leave after 44 games with an average of only 0.95 points, a contract until the end of June 2025. “I feel a lot of enthusiasm and motivation from the people involved,” said Jurendic about new coach Thorup.
Riedle, Höjbjerg & Co.: These famous names once played for FC Augsburg
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Augsburg youth between 1988 and 1992. Moved from the FCA A youth team to the Stuttgarter Kickers.
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Karl-Heinz Riedle | Center forward
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Between 1983 and 1986 at FC Augsburg. World champion in 1990, German champion with Werder and Dortmund, Champions League winner at BVB.
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Bernd Schuster | Offensive midfield
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Left the Augsburg youth team in 1978 after the A-youth. European champion in 1980, 6-time Spanish cup winner with Real Madrid, Atlético and FC Barcelona.
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Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg | Central midfield
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2015 on loan from FC Bayern to FC Augsburg. Current market value at Tottenham Hotspur: 30 million euros.
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Helmut Haller | Hanging lace
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Born in Augsburg. FCA legend. Italy’s Footballer of the Year 1964, three-time champion with Bologna and Juventus Turin. Began and ended his career at FC Augsburg. Oldest goalscorer in club history (39 years, 7 months, 4 days).
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Arkadiusz Milik | Center forward
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2013/14 on loan from Bayer Leverkusen to FC Augsburg. Highest career market value: 40 million euros at SSC Napoli, currently Olympique Marseille.
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Daniel Baier | Defensive Midfield
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Eleven years at FC Augsburg, Bundesliga record player – a total of 355 competitive games for FCA.
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Abdul Rahman Baba | Left-back
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Only 32 appearances for FC Augsburg, but the club’s record sale: in 2015/16 for 26 million euros to Chelsea FC.
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Michael Thurk | Center forward
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Best goalscorer in Augsburg professional football history: 56 goals for FCA in the 2nd Bundesliga and cup.
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Armin Veh | Offensive midfield
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Born in Augsburg. After the A-youth and a year in the first team, left the club for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1978. As the coach with the most games at FCA.
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Julian Nagelsmann | Central defender
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From the FCA youth team in 2002 to 1860 Munich. Five years later back to Augsburg. Another nine years later, the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history (Hoffenheim).
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Christian Hochstätter | Defensive Midfield
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Left his hometown Augsburg and the FCA for Mönchengladbach in 1982, became the seventh most frequently used player in history and sporting director at Borussia.
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Best assist provider in Augsburg’s Bundesliga history. Left FCA in 2020 for Eindhoven for 8 million euros – the third highest transfer fee in the club’s history
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