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'It was special Klopp wanted to work with me' - New Leverkusen coach Wolf opens up on Liverpool manager's influence
The Bundesliga club's new boss has opened up on how he came to work with his fellow German at Borussia Dortmund
New Bayer Leverkusen coach Hannes Wolf has spoken of the positive relationship he has with Jurgen Klopp and the “special time” he had at Borussia Dortmund.
Wolf is treading his own path as a manager, and recently took interim control of Leverkusen.
He has had spells at Stuttgart, Hamburg and Genk, after learning his trade under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.
What has been said?
The 39-year-old Wolf was in charge of regional side ASC 09 Dortmund, but his exploits caught the eye of Klopp, who brought him to the Bundesliga giants in 2009.
“The beginning was a special moment,” Wolf told DAZN. “He heard my story, a young coach being successful in Dortmund.
“I was voted 'Sports Person of the Year' and he was the special guest. We were in the sixth division and I was just 27 years old.
“Of course this is something special that he told me: 'Join us, we want to work with you'. And I had the possibility to go all the way at BVB.
“I was able to train teams on a very high level, I was able to be on the training pitch with him. That was great and a special time for me.
"We are still in contact and everything has remained on a friendly basis.”
Wolf’s path to Leverkusen
As a player, Wolf operated as a forward in the regional leagues - with the high point being a couple of seasons with Nurnberg’s second string.
He went into management in his early 20s, with his three years at ASC 09 Dortmund impressing Klopp, who took him to BVB in 2009.
Wolf took charge of various levels in the BVB structure, leading the U17 and U19 teams to national titles.
He left BVB one year after Klopp’s exit to take the reins at Stuttgart in 2016, where he spent two seasons before pitching up at Hamburg. He was axed after failing to lead them back to the top flight in 2019.
A season in Belgium followed with Genk, while he was working with the German federation before being asked to take charge of Leverkusen last month.
