Following Boldt's expulsion. - The progress of Kuntz's career at HSV is being monitored.
The second division club let go of Jonas Boldt (42) on Tuesday. The supervisory board chairman, Michael Papenfuß (69), visited the office to inform the sports director (contract until 2025) about his dismissal.
Boldt might have been taken aback. The atmosphere around the Nuremberg match (4:1) - both at the HSV box and in the stadium corridors - seemed to imply that the situation could continue as usual.
Boldt had also proposed hiring an additional technical director (with Jörg Schmadtke as the preferred candidate).
In two days, Boldt will bid farewell to the staff and likely move out of his office. His replacement will come to Hamburg the same day.
On Thursday, Kuntz presented his analysis and plan at the "Grand Elysée" hotel. His rapport with the board members was distinctly better than the previous meeting with Felix Magath (70) - also held at the same hotel - on the day of the summit.
The board's personnel committee (Papenfuß, von Bülow, Frömming) left a poor impression on Magath. It is plausible that the club legend (who played in the European Cup wins in 1977 and 1983, to name a few) was only invited to prevent later accusations of not meeting with Magath.
Kuntz progressed quickly in this regard. The long-standing leader of 1. FC Kaiserslautern (2008 - 2016) will meet with HSV on Wednesday. The conversations will include CFO Eric Huwer (40), coach Steffen Baumgart (52), and sporting director Claus Costa (39).
Kuntz (Turkey's head coach until September 2023) needs to form an opinion and make decisions promptly. Preparations for the new second division season begin in less than six weeks.
Will Baumgart stay?
The failed switch from Tim Walter (48) to Baumgart partly contributed to Boldt's dismissal. The mediocre point tally under the new head coach (20 points from twelve games) insured that Hamburg missed out on a Bundesliga return again.
Düsseldorf managed ten additional points than Hamburg in the season's final third and moved up to relegation place 3.
Papenfuß expressed Boldt's departure in an official HSV announcement: "Our thorough analysis process has led to the decision that we require and desire a new sporting impetus when we've missed promotion for the sixth time in a row."
It's uncertain whether Kuntz will offer Baumgart (contract until 2025) another opportunity. The decision would surprise many...
Kuntz must establish clarity in key positions as well. Will Costa remain the sporting director? What will happen to Horst Hrubesch (73)?
Costa has been a reliable ally of Boldt. Nonetheless, Kuntz will likely need him for the interim. After all, the sporting director is now the only one who is familiar with all the players' contracts and has had preliminary talks with representatives and potential additions to the team for the new season.
For young talent boss Hrubesch, his initial mission is the Olympics in Paris as the coach of the women's national team.
Kuntz's first appearance on Thursday!
After discussing matters with the management team, Kuntz will be officially unveiled at the stadium on Thursday afternoon. He's unlikely to bring many staff members with him initially.
Papenfuß thinks that Kuntz will be able to work with the established structures and further develop them: "Stefan comes from a soccer background, has management experience, and will manage this in a focused way." He will have the support of board member Dr. Eric Huwer.
Boldt wanted Kuntz!
Remarkably, a few months ago, Boldt wanted to bring Kuntz to HSV. It was about choosing Tim Walter's successor at that time. But the former player was not interested in coaching at Volkspark. Then, Baumgart came into the picture.
Boldt, now off hsv.de, said, "Besides the great disappointment about not achieving promotion, I still feel positive. It was an honor to work with so many remarkable people."
After Boldt's departure, Kuntz is the new face at HSV.
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Source: symclub.org
