Baumgart turns down Hansa Rostock's offer to return to his boyhood club

Coaching search in Rostock

Third-division German club Hansa Rostock dismissed head coach Daniel Brinkmann (40) this week after a heavy 0-4 away defeat to Viktoria Köln. The team was temporarily taken over by the duo of Yannic Thiel and Adam Susac, who steered Hansa to a nervy 3-2 win over VfB Stuttgart's reserve side on Wednesday — but that is only an interim fix while the club searches for a permanent successor.

Baumgart says no

According to the tabloid "Bild", the club reached out to Steffen Baumgart (54), who was born in Rostock and played for Hansa himself between 1999 and 2002, but the coach is said to have turned the offer down immediately. TAG24 adds that, as of Thursday evening, a Baumgart appointment at Hansa was not a serious topic. Baumgart has been out of work since April, when he was let go by Union Berlin, despite having extended his contract there only months earlier. He previously coached 1. FC Köln and HSV. A move to the third tier does not appear to appeal to him.

A fan dream

Hansa Rostock supporters had hoped for Baumgart's return not only because of his roots but also his playing career at the club — he made 194 appearances for Hansa and helped the team win promotion to the Bundesliga in 1995. However, board chairman Ronald Maul (53) stressed on Wednesday that the decision must be made without emotion, adding that the club is looking for a coach with proven promotion experience rather than a "development coach" like Brinkmann.

Candidates on the list

According to "Bild" and TAG24, Hansa is actively considering several names. André Breitenreiter (52) is described as the hottest candidate — he has led teams to Bundesliga promotion twice, though he has never coached in the third division. Also under consideration are Markus Fiedler, who has third-tier experience and has also been linked with Wehen Wiesbaden, and Mitch Kniat (40), who left Arminia Bielefeld in the summer after guiding the club to the DFB Cup final and promotion to the 2. Bundesliga.

What's next

Hansa will host Rot-Weiss Essen on Sunday at 1:30 pm, and if no decision on a new coach is reached by Friday evening, Thiel and Susac will once again be in charge. After that, an almost three-week break for international fixtures will give the club a window in which it hopes to finalize a deal with its new head coach.