Who is Andre Breitenreiter? Everything we know about Huddersfield Town's new head coach

Breitenreiter is something of an unknown quantity in England, having never previously managed in the country. He is the third German-born manager to have taken charge of Huddersfield in the last decade, following the reigns of David Wagner and Jan Siewert.

He will be hoping to emulate the former rather than the latter, who had a brief and unsuccessful stint at the John Smith’s Stadium. Few saw Breitenreiter’s arrival coming, considering there had been little to no speculation regarding his potential appointment.

The 50-year-old was turned to in a crowded manager market too, ahead of a range of experienced EFL figures. Following Huddersfield’s announcement, here is everything we know about their new head coach.

Playing career

An attacking midfielder and forward in his playing days, Breitenreiter reprsented the likes of Hannover, Wolfsburg and Hamburg before dropping down the divisions to represent lesser known German outfits such as Hessen Kassel and BV Cloppenburg.

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He won the DFB-Pokal with Hannover in 1992, the only trophy of his career. He also represented Germany at various youth levels but failed to establish himself at senior level.

Managerial career

He landed his first managerial role with TSV Havelse, where he had finished his playing career. Breitenreiter led the club to a Lower Saxony Cup triumph, eventually landing the SC Paderborn gig in 2013.

He led the club into the Bundesliga and enjoyed an impressive start to life in the German top flight. Schalke soon came calling but his tenure lasted just a season, ending following a fifth-placed finish.

Breitenreiter returned to Hannover to take the reins at the Veltins Arena and achieved another promotion from the German second tier. However, he could not push the club on following promotion and was axed in 2019 with Hannover staring relegation in the face.

He then sought pastures new in Switzerland and led FC Zurich to the Swiss Super League title in 2022. Breitenreiter then sealed a return to Germany with Hoffenheim but was dismissed in February last year with the club embroiled in a relegation battle.

Coaching style

Huddersfield have stated their preference for front-foot football and Breitenreiter certainly fits the bill of a coach who likes to attack. He is a practitioner of the Gegenpress philosophy utilised by the likes of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and former Terriers boss David Wagner.