Michael Wimmer heads for Motherwell exit as he goes back to Germany with family in mind
He is leaving Motherwell after only a few months
Michael Wimmer is set to quit Motherwell and return closer to home in Germany.
The former Austria Vienna coach joined the Fir Park side in February after Stuart Kettlewell’s resignation. He has now told club chiefs that he wants to return to his homeland after only three months into his role, with his family staying in Germany while he worked at Motherwell.
SSV Jahn Regensburg have agreed a compensation package to make him their new head coach after their demotion out of Bundesliga 2. They are also close to where Wimmer is based back in Germany and offer him a return to home, where he flew back to earlier this week.
Michael Wimmer set for Motherwell exit
A club statement reads: “Wimmer explained the reasons for wishing to accept the new role were predominately due to major family issues that have recently arisen in Germany. Following extensive conversations with Michael, the club very reluctantly negotiated a compensation package with SSV Jahn Regensburg. The Club wishes Michael and his family the best going forward. We will now start the process of recruiting a new manager with immediate effect.”
Motherwell are yet to announce their retained list, with several players out of contract. The decision by Wimmer has left club chiefs again looking for a new manager, and this will be the fifth new boss in just under three years, with Graham Alexander sacked in 2022 then followed by Steven Hammell, Kettlewell, Wimmer and now his successor. A number of players had already signed up for the new season including experienced stars like Andy Halliday, Stephen O’Donnell and Paul McGinn, with top asset Lennon Miller expected to move on during the summer.
Wimmer guided the club to safety and eighth in the Premiership over his 12 games in charge and openly discussed his plans for next season. The Motherwell Times had sat down with the German coach ahead of the final game of the season at Ross County for an extended interview to be used in the close season, where he talked over his time at Fir Park, and he was asked about how difficult he had found being away from family.
Michael Wimmer on life away from Germany
Wimmer responded: “Difficult question as it’s part of the game and job. To be honest, it’s very difficult for me as it is also the first time. My former club was where you drive three hours and you are at home. But it’s part of the game and I need to deal with it. When the pre-season starts, then it’s the international breaks (he gets to fly home). The school holidays in Bavaria are not so perfect. It doesn’t fit to my schedule so it leaves the international break.
“I think you always speak about this. If an offer came, you would always speak with your family about the situation, the future, what are the expectations if we are away. Can we achieve this, how we can deal with this correctly, how is my son dealing with it. This is something we speak about before, we know it’s a tough time and we know it’s part of the game.”
Wimmer said in Motherwell’s statement: I want to thank the Board and all the staff at the club for the way they welcomed me to Scotland and also supported me so much from when I arrived in February. They have done everything to support me and my family during my time here. This has been an ongoing, extremely difficult position that I have found myself in, and the club have done all they could to support me during these challenging times, both whilst I was in post and while I have been back in Germany.
“I am sorry to all the Motherwell fans; the support you have shown me has been outstanding, and I have loved learning about this wonderful club. This decision was an extremely hard one for me to make; however, I have decided to move back home, as I need to put my family first and be with them, and I want to thank the board for the understanding shown through these challenging times. I hope the club can continue to progress next season. I really enjoyed the time I spent in Scotland. There are great people at the club who are ambitious and want the best for the club going forward. I only wish everyone at Motherwell FC the very best for the future.”