The Bundesliga’s bottom side VfL Bochum have named 54-year-old Thomas Letsch as their new coach in succession to Thomas Reis.
The new man at the helm at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion comes from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, with whom he has enjoyed some moderate success over the past few seasons. Arnhem have finished fourth and sixth over the past two seasons and Letsch led them to the Dutch Cup final in 2021. Lat season in Europe they were only narrowly beaten by eventual winners AS Roma in the Europa Conference League.
The German coach also has experience with Liefering and Austria Vienna and was co-trainer for a season at RB Salzburg under Roger Schmidt.
“Thomas Letsch is our ideal solution for the position of head coach,” said Patrick Fabian, Director of Sport at VfL Bochum 1848. “He has the necessary experience in professional football and is able to shape a team with a clear structure and game idea.
“In addition, at his previous stations he has always driven the further development of talented players. We are confident that, as a very communicative coach, he will succeed in giving the team new impetus and thus achieve the turnaround together with the entire team, the staff, and the support of the fans.”
He has an uphill task ahead of him with Bochum rock bottom of the Bundesliga with just a single point picked up from their first seven games and having lost six on the trot at the start of the season. His first game in charge will be a tricky away trip to RB Leipzig next Saturday.
“Of course, I am looking forward to getting to know the new team quickly and to tackling the upcoming tasks together with the team,” Letsch said at his unveiling.
“Our big goal is for VfL Bochum to continue playing in the Bundesliga next season. We will work very hard to achieve this. The fans have supported the team in an extraordinary way, and we will continue to need this support. Only with cohesion and community will we succeed.”
