Daniel Stendel to adopt Wagner and Klopp's gegenpress in reviving Barnsley

The ex-Hannover 96 head coach is the left-field selection to replace Jose Morais, with the Reds going continental for the second appointment running and installing another ‘rookie’ with no previous experience of English management.

German-born Stendel, 44 – out of work since being sacked by Hannover in March 2017 – has signed a two-year-deal at Oakwell and will officially start work on July 1, with details regarding his backroom staff to be confirmed shortly.

On his appointment, Stendel said: “I am fully motivated and excited to get going. I have got the view that the way in which I want to reach success is mirrored by the people in charge. That is really important and made my decision an easy one.

“It is really important to want to be successful, but if you only want to be and do not have a plan of how to be, it will not work. At Barnsley, there is a plan, that is very clear and it becomes a pathway to success.”

A devotee of the fast-paced counter-attacking ‘transition’ style of football successfully brought to England by Huddersfield Town head coach David Wagner and Liverpool chief Jurgen Klopp, Stendel and his philosophy quickly resonated with the Oakwell board.

“We have identified that the counter-press has been used by the most successful teams in the world and Daniel is one of the best coaches at doing that,” said chief executive Gauthier Ganaye.

“The whole board of directors were involved during the process of appointing Daniel. We identified him as a candidate as he is a coach that has a style of play that matches the mentality of the club and town, it is attacking with flair and high intensity designed to press the opposition.”

Daniel Stendel during his time as Bochum head coach. (Picture: Joachim Sielski/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Barnsley’s appointment of Stendel means that the focus will now switch to Yorkshire rivals Leeds United, Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers, all currently without managers.

Leeds remain in talks with their primary target, ex-Argentina and Chile manager Marcelo Bielsa, while City are close to ending their own search for Simon Grayson’s successor.

Former City manager Stuart McCall has been heavily linked with the vacant position at Doncaster, with ex-Leeds and Rotherham United chief Neil Redfearn, currently in charge of Doncaster Belles, understood to be another candidate under scrutiny.