Peter Zeidler will take over at Bochum after six years with St. Gallen. - © IMAGO/Grant Hubbs

bundesliga

Peter Zeidler named new Bochum head coach

03.06.2024

Fresh from retaining their place in the Bundesliga via the play-off, Bochum have appointed Peter Zeidler their new head coach.

Zeidler takes over at the Ruhrstadion on a two-year deal through to 2026, succeeding interim coach Heiko Butscher, who kept the club up via a penalty shootout victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf after stepping in following Thomas Letsch’s dismissal in April.

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“We’re excited to be going into the new season with Peter Zeidler,” said Bochum’s sporting director Marc Lettau. “His positively aggressive style of play and his passionate manner are exactly what we need to develop.”

The 61-year-old arrives on the back of six seasons in charge of Swiss side St. Gallen, having also worked in France with Tours and Sochaux, as well as Austria at Liefering and Red Bull Salzburg.

Born in Schwäbisch Gmünd in Germany’s southwest, Zeidler first got into coaching at the VfB Stuttgart academy in the 1980s. His previous taste of working in the Bundesliga came as assistant to Ralf Rangnick at Hoffenheim between 2008 and 2011.

Zeidler will be tasked with improving on Bochum’s 16th-place finish as they go into a fourth straight season in the Bundesliga. His first competitive fixture in charge will be against Jahn Regensburg in the DFB Cup first round on 16-19 August. Previous boss Butscher will take over the club’s reserves.