Fuat Kilic coached VfB Oldenburg until the end of pre-season. Just three months later, he is back at the club that was relegated to the third division.

In its search for a new coach, VfB Oldenburg is relying on a surprising solution: Fuat Kilic is returning to the club from the Regionalliga Nord.

The long-time coach of Alemannia Aachen had already coached the North Germans from March until the end of the past third league season. After the relegation, Kilic left the club. Almost three months later, the 50-year-old is back after VfB parted ways with Benjamin Duda last week due to a false start.

“Such a start during the season is of course easier when you know the club, know large parts of the team and know who you are working with,” Kilic said in a statement from the club. “I appreciate the people at VfB, the people in charge, the staff team, we have worked together in a trusting way and this knowledge has of course played a role now.”

According to the Oldenburg club, they would have liked to start the season with Kilic. For private reasons, however, the football coach declined to continue working with them.

“I felt incredibly comfortable here and of course followed the development closely. When the call came, I was on fire and was quickly convinced that I wanted to return to VfB,” he explained.

Last season Kilic took over the team twelve matchdays before the end. Under his direction, Oldenburg picked up 14 points, but it was not enough to keep them in the league. Nevertheless, according to sporting director Sebastian Schachten, Kilic has shown “that he can quickly stabilise a team that is in a difficult sporting situation and give it security and a clear structure”.

And with these qualities, the Turkish-born player is now challenged again. Oldenburg has been waiting for a win for four games and is in eleventh place in the Regionalliga Nord table after eight matchdays. “We have a team with potential. Now it’s a matter of getting the boys into a situation where they can consistently call on this potential,” the coach emphasised.