Relegated Cologne named former Salzburg coach Gerhard Struber as their new boss just two weeks before pre-season training begins, the German second-tier club said on Wednesday.
The Billy Goats, who went down from the Bundesliga after a five-year stay, decided not to extend the deal of Timo Schultz and 47-year-old Struber will now take over on an unspecified contract.
He has also coached New York Red Bulls, Wolfsberger AC in Austria and English second-tier side Barnsley. Struber, sacked by Salzburg in March, is the latest in a long line of Austrian coaches to enter German football in recent years.
"I'm very much looking forward to the task in hand,’ Struber said in a statement. "I want to immerse myself in the club very quickly and deeply in order to chase our goals and achieve them."