Six days after the dismissal of Enrico Maaßen, FC Augsburg has a new coach: Dane Jess Thorup (53) will be given a contract until 2025 and will be presented at a press conference tomorrow Monday.
With FC Midtjylland in 2018 and FC Copenhagen in 2022, Thorup won the Danish championship, plus the cup with Esbjerg fB in 2013. In 2013, he also received the award for coach of the year in Denmark. “We are delighted that in Jess we have been able to attract a football professional and person to FCA who has been a head coach at the highest level for many years and has a great deal of experience at national and international level,” said FCA sporting director Marinko Jurendic. “Jess has proven at his previous stations that he can both develop players and lead teams to success.”
The search for a coach at FCA went through Jurendic and managing director Michael Ströll. Also involved were Heinz Moser and Christoph Janker from the management circle. which Thorup, in FCA’s opinion, fulfils best: Twelve years of experience as head coach, natural authority, which is necessary in the current situation. In addition, Thorup is able to drive the development of a team during a season, which he has proven at his stations in Copenhagen, KAA Gent and Midtjylland.
With Denmark’s U 21 in the European Championship semi-finals
Thorup could develop players, Wolfsburg’s Jonas Wind is just one example, Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg or Youssuf Poulsen are others. In 2015, Thorup reached the semi-finals of the European Championship with the Danish U21s. In the talks with the FCA officials, he was able to fully identify with the task at FCA right away, and he also has a great deal of experience and the ability to develop young players. Last but not least, he has a positive, confident aura, according to club sources. Thorup will have to prove whether he can live up to these laurels as of now, with the first game coming up next Sunday in Heidenheim (5.30 pm).
“I had very constructive and goal-oriented talks with the people in charge, in which I immediately felt that FCA is the right next step for me. The club and the team have a lot of potential and it is a great pleasure for me to work in the Bundesliga and to bring FC Augsburg forward together,” he was quoted as saying in FCA’s press release.
First player at KFC Uerdingen
Germany knows Thorup from his time as a player with KFC Uerdingen from 1996 to 1998, where he scored three goals in 39 second division games. A difficult but not insurmountable task awaits him to lead FCA out of the crisis. To do this, Thorup must first stabilise the defence and then make progress in the game.
