Sheffield Wednesday's relegation rivals announce surprise appointment of ex-Bundesliga manager

Sheffield Wednesday's Championship relegation rivals Huddersfield Town have confirmed the appointment of André Breitenreiter as the club's new head coach.

The 50-year-old will officially join the club on Monday, after completing his visa application, with his first fixture in charge to come against Watford on February 24. The former Hannover 96, Hamburger SV and VfL Wolfsburg player has enjoyed an impressive managerial career to date.

He guided Zurich to the Swiss Super League title in 2022 and led Paderborn into the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history back in 2014. That earned him the Schalke job, as he guided the club into the Europa League with a fifth-placed finish in Germany's top flight.

He left Schalke for Hannover - the club he made his professional debut at as a player - and earned promotion with them. After his spell with Zurich, he was appointed at Hoffenheim but was sacked at the start of the month with the club just outside the Bundesliga relegation zone.

Huddersfield had been on hunt for a new manager since sacking ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore. Jon Worthington has taken interim charge and won two of three matches at the helm - including a decisive 4-0 victory over the Owls on February 3.

The Terriers' recent upturn in form has moved them to 20th in the table, eight points above Wednesday. On the appointment of Breitenreiter, Huddersfield owner and chairman Kevin Nagle said: “I am very excited about Andre’s appointment. At the start of this process, we were very clear on what we expect our head coach to deliver.

“Atop that list was the creation of a winning culture, where there is no fear over taking bold options to try and get all three points in every game – before match day or during the game.

“We also want to deliver a type of football that will excite our supporters, who love a high-tempo, front-foot, all-action style. We believe Andre is the ideal candidate to deliver this. His credentials as a winner are there for all to see and, upon speaking to him, I was very impressed with his depth of knowledge. I’m excited to see the impact he has on our talented squad.”