Aspiring to Go to Korea, Final Candidate Ends One-Year Wildman's LifeNext to Klopp, my best friend

Jun 12, 2025

David Wagner's next destination, once connected to the South Korean national team, has been delivered.

Florian Flettenberg, a reporter for Germany's Sky Sports, reported on his personal SNS on the 12th (Korea time) that Wagner, a former coach of Norwich City and a strong friend of former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, has been appointed director of the RB Leipzig Youth Academy. He was then named "Wagner to replace Manuel Baum. We haven't signed the contract yet, but it's already been decided."

Wagner was not a superstar when he was a player. Since his debut with Eintracht Frankfurt, he has played for several clubs, including Mainz and Schalke. Coach Klopp, who played for Mainz, was linked, and the two still have a close relationship.

Wagner, who began his leadership career as Borussia Dortmund's second-tier coach after retirement, became Huddersfield's coach in 2015. After two years, he miraculously led Huddersfield to promotion to the Premier League, proving his leadership. Huddersfield, who had a poor environment in the 2018-2018 season, even stayed, but Huddersfield fell into crisis in the 2018-2019 season, and head coach Wagner resigned himself.

He later led Schalke, Young Boys and Norwich. Norwich also coached Hwang Ui-jo, who became a controversial man. After stepping down from Norwich, he is now a wildebeest. In the summer of 2024, Wagner could have taken the helm of the Korean national team in the summer of 2024. Lee Im-saeng, technical director of the Korea Football Association, who was finally leading the appointment of the coach at the time, was one of the final candidates he met in Europe.

Wagner was the only foreign coach candidate who met face-to-face with Gus Foye, who is currently in charge of Jeonbuk Hyundai, and director Lee. Wagner showed great enthusiasm for the baton of the Korean national team. He even prepared data on how to lead the Korean national team, but failed to pass the standards set by the Korea Football Association.

After failing to reach South Korea, Wagner was also mentioned as a candidate for the U.S. national team coach and the Australian national team coach, but decided to join the Red Bull division, where his best friend Klopp is located. Klopp serves as the director of global football for Red Bull.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.