Championship strugglers Middlesbrough have been handed a potential boost in their hunt for a new manager with Hannes Wolf highly unlikely to seal a return to the Bundesliga with relegation-threatened Stuttgart, according to Sky Germany.
Last week, reports emerged suggesting that former RB Leipzig and Schalke boss Domenico Tedesco had rebuffed Stuttgart’s advances due to the ongoing uncertainty behind the scenes at the Mercedes Benz Arena; sporting director Sven Mislintat one of many key figures facing an uncertain future.
And Wolf, it seems, has similar reservations.
According to Sky, 41-year-old Wolf is currently ‘not a candidate’ to take over from the sacked Pellegrino Matarazzo. Wolf has an excellent relationship with Mislintat – dating back to their time together at Borussia Dortmund. The uncertainty facing the latter, however, means talks with the former are at a standstill.
And Stuttgart’s loss could potentially be Middlesbrough’s gain.
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Michael Carrick turned down the Riverside outfit shortly after emerging as Boro’s number one managerial target. Sean Dyche, meanwhile, is holding out for a Premier League job. Rob Edwards is now in talks with former employers Wolves (talkSPORT).
Gary O’Neill is also likely to stay at Bournemouth.
So, amid declining options, Wolf’s ongoing availability comes as a welcome boost to Boro owner Steve Gibson. Sky Sports say that Middlesbrough are keen to open talks with the 41-year-old German, who was linked with the Leeds United post prior to Marcelo Bielsa’s transformative 2018 arrival at Elland Road.
It is not difficult to see why Wolf appeals to Middlesbrough either. Following his time in charge of Dortmund’s reserves and the German U18s, he has a fine track record with regards to youth development. A useful attribute, considering the importance of Middlesbrough’s academy. Furthermore, Wolf has tasted promotion success before, leading Stuttgart to the Bundesliga.2 title in 2017.
Wolf has been out of work since leaving Bayer Leverkusen recently. He spent a brief period in charge of the German giants during the second half of last season.
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