Relegated Cologne appoint former Salzburg coach Struber

Coach Gerhard Struber smiles before the game. 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. Marius Becker/dpa

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."

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