Shortly after the start of training at Werder Bremen, the Hanseatic League side announce a departure in the coaching team: assistant Danijel Zenkovic leaves the second-division club and becomes “Co” at Club Brugge.
At the Belgian top team, Zenkovic will become assistant to Alfred Schreuder, known from the Bundesliga from his Hoffenheim days (2019/2020).
“The request for Danijel came at very short notice, as the constellations in Bruges changed at the weekend. We have complied with his transfer request and thank him for his very good work at Werder and wish him every success in his new role,” said managing director Frank Baumann in a statement from SVW.
Whether and in what form Ole Werner’s coaching team will be supplemented after his departure will be decided in the next few days.
Schreuder steps up – and lures Zenkovic to Bruges
Schreuder has only been coach since today, Monday, at the Champions League contender, who finished fourth in the group stage with Leipzig, PSG and Manchester City and thus bowed out of the European stage.
Schreuder succeeds Philippe Clement at the traditional Belgian club, who in turn took over for Niko Kovac, who was sacked at Monaco. Bruges currently sit second in the Jupiler Pro League as reigning champions, seven points behind surprise league leaders Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, who top the Belgian league as promoted teams.
Great spotlight against Schalke
Zenkovic stepped into the limelight for Werder Bremen when he replaced Markus Anfang, who had been dismissed because of his fake vaccination card, on the morning of the evening match against FC Schalke (1-1).
Bremen snatched the draw thanks to a hotly debated penalty by Niclas Füllkrug in injury time, which was the result of an absurdly wrong decision by the referee team led by Tobias Stieler. The 35-year-old Zenkovic was denied a second competitive game in charge because he had contracted the corona virus before the clash in Kiel (1:2).
In Kiel, second assistant Christian Brand sat on the bench, then came head coach Ole Werner – and Danijel Zenkovic moved back into the second tier. Until this 3 January, when Zenkovic accepted a new challenge.
