BERLIN, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Wolfsburg have appointed football executive Pirmin Schwegler as sporting director, completing a move that brings the former Bundesliga midfielder to the club on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old Swiss leaves his role as head of professional football at Eintracht Frankfurt to fill the vacancy, which has remained open since Sebastian Schindzielorz was relieved of his duties in mid-November.
Wolfsburg, Bundesliga champion in 2008-09, sits one point above the relegation zone after 13 league matches and are still seeking stability following the dismissal of head coach Paul Simonis. Under-19 boss Daniel Bauer is currently in charge on an interim basis after overseeing a morale-boosting win against Union Berlin.
"I am very pleased that Pirmin Schwegler is joining us. Our discussions were very good," said Wolfsburg managing director for sport Peter Christiansen in a club statement. "We have a common understanding of how we want to play football at VfL Wolfsburg and what it takes to build our club sustainably: stable structures and close cooperation with the academy, but also with all other departments within the club."
Christiansen also thanked Frankfurt, adding: "We thank Eintracht Frankfurt for the constructive talks beforehand, especially Markus Krosche, who has made it possible for Pirmin to take this step at this time."
Schwegler spent 13 Bundesliga seasons, making 262 top-flight appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, Frankfurt, Hoffenheim and Hannover, and winning 14 caps for Switzerland. A former Frankfurt captain, he ended his playing career in 2020.
Since retiring, he has worked as scout and head scout at Bayern Munich before moving into senior management roles at Hoffenheim and then Frankfurt, where he was head of professional football.
One of his first major tasks in Wolfsburg will be to help decide whether Bauer should be confirmed as head coach or whether an external candidate will be appointed as the Wolves try to secure their top-flight status. ■
