Augsburg sacks coach Sandro Wagner after poor start to German season

AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) – Former Germany forward Sandro Wagner’s first top-tier coaching stint is over.

Augsburg and the 38-year-old Wagner parted ways on Monday after five defeats in six games and a poor start to the season.

The Bundesliga club said in a statement that the decision to let him go came after “open talks” between Wagner, Augsburg managing director Michael Ströll and sports director Benni Weber.

Wagner, who was previously the assistant to Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, took over Augsburg in May for his first coaching job in the top flight.

But it didn’t go to plan with Augsburg losing eight of its 12 Bundesliga games so far – the team lost 3-0 at Hoffenheim on Saturday when the damage was done before the break – while it was also knocked out of the German Cup by second-division side Bochum.

Former Augsburg coach Manuel Baum was returning to take over on an interim basis until the winter break.

Wagner played for Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim, and Hertha Berlin among a host of clubs before ending his playing career in 2020 at Tianjin Jinmen Tiger in China.

He began coaching at fourth-tier SpVgg Unterhaching the following year and led it to third-division promotion in 2023, when he left to start work with the German soccer federation.

Wagner briefly worked as an assistant to Hannes Wolf with Germany Under-20s before joining Nagelsmann at the senior team.