Cologne considering Thomas Doll as new coach
Cologne are reportedly negotiating a deal with Thomas Doll to be their new head coach. Reports said that representatives from the struggling German Bundesliga club have been persuading Doll over the past
few days to replace Zvonimir Soldo.
Cologne officials are reportedly set to replace the Croatian as the club continue to languish in the relegation zone this season.
Cologne general manager Michael Meier did not directly say that Soldo is on his way out but hinted that they are making some moves to address the club's woes.
"I am not a magician. Do not think that I am sitting here doing nothing," he said in an interview with
Bild.
A loss to Hannover this Saturday will likely be Soldo's last stint with the club. The Croatian has been heavily criticised for Cologne's negative style of play.
Cologne have only secured five points from eight matches. Die Geissboecke are just above bottom-ranked Stuttgart in the table.
Soldo, who played for the Croatian national team from 1994 to 2002, took over Cologne last season after managing Dinamo Zagreb. He was a member of the Croatian squad that finished third at the 1998 FIFA
World Cup in France.
Soldo spent his playing years with Dinamo, NK Zadar, Inker Zapresic, Croatia Zagreb and Stuttgart. He played 10 years in Stuttgart, helping the club win the 1997 German Cup. Soldo was awarded by the state
of Baden-Wurttemberg with its Staufer Medal after his playing career in recognition of his contributions to the club.
Doll, meanwhile, does not have a club at present after he was recently sacked by Turkish side Genclerbirligi. The 44-year-old is demanding 750,000 euros in compensation from the club.
Doll is no stranger to coaching in the Bundesliga. He coached Hamburg SV from 2004 until 2007 when he was sacked mid-way in the season after the club slipped to the bottom of the table.
He signed with Borussia Dortmund after his stint with HSV. Doll, however, resigned as Borussia manager in May 2008 after the club finished 13th.
Tags: