The second team of SC Paderborn has found a successor to Daniel Brinkmann after his move to FC Hansa Rostock.

Daniel Brinkmann took over as coach of the U21 regional league team of second division club SC Paderborn on July 1, 2024. Just four months later, on November 1, 2024, the 38-year-old left the East Westphalia-based club.

The reason: third division club FC Hansa Rostock was looking for a new coach and Brinkmann followed the siren call.

Around three weeks later, SC Paderborn II has now found and officially presented Brinkmann’s successor. It is a returnee.

Thomas Bertels, who played in the blue and black jersey from 2011 to 2018, returns to the Pader from FC Schalke 04, where he was coach of the U17 team. The 38-year-old takes over the U21 team, which is currently ranked 8th in the Regionalliga West. Janik Brosch, who has already served as interim assistant coach for the team in their last two games, will serve as assistant coach for the U21s.

In the summer of 2011, Bertels came to Paderborn from SC Verl, where he quickly became an integral part of the professional team. During his playing days, the left-footed player made more than 150 appearances for SCP. He then took over the position of assistant coach of the U19 team at the youth training center. This was followed by roles as coach of the U16 (2019-2022) and U21 (2022/2023) teams, with whom he managed to get promoted to the Regionalliga West.

“We are very happy that Tommy is the perfect solution for our U21s. He knows SCP07 very well from his many years here and will not need any time to settle in. We look forward to a good collaboration,” emphasizes Ayhan Tumani, sporting director of the 07 academy.

Bertels says about his time at the Schalke academy: “I felt very comfortable at Schalke during my time here. I made a conscious decision to join Schalke a year and a half ago, and now I am consciously deciding to take on a coaching role at the senior level. My time with the Royal Blues was a very positive one. I got to meet great people and made friends. I will continue to follow the path of the U17s and the entire club as a fan.”