He takes over immediately

Transfer bomb: Kühbauer becomes new LASK coach

Didi Kühbauer is back at LASK.(Bild: GEPA)

This is a transfer bomb! Didi Kühbauer becomes the new head coach of LASK. No joke, the Burgenland native is moving from WAC to the Upper Austrians with immediate effect, where he already worked from 2022 to 2023.

LASK is looking for a new head coach, a successor to Joao Sacramento, that much is clear. It's also clear that Kühbauer has worked for Schwarz-Weiß before, coaching LASK in 41 competitive matches from 2022 to 2023. And now he apparently wants to give it another go. Even though things are going really well with the WAC at the moment, he is the current cup winner and is among the leaders in the Bundesliga table - and Kühbauer was named Coach of the Year at the Bruno Gala on Monday:

Didi means business
At first glance, it is therefore quite surprising that Kühbauer would be drawn to the struggling LASK. But the rumor made the rounds more and more on Thursday. And the "Krone" found out: It's true. Kühbauer is moving to the Upper Austrians immediately, taking his "co" Manfred Nastl with him to join the existing team of assistant coach Maximilian Ritscher, goalkeeping coach Philip Großalber, athletics coach Leopold Angerer and video analyst Mario Milanic, and is once again a Black & White player with immediate effect.

The details of the contract
LASK have now officially confirmed that Kühbauer has signed a contract until the summer of 2027 - including an option for a further year. "We are very happy that we were able to bring back Didi Kühbauer, a coach who knows the club very well. He stands for passion, clarity and consistency, and after intensive discussions it quickly became clear that Didi is the right person to get the team back on track," said sporting director Dino Buric about the signing.

It is also clear that LASK, where Ritscher most recently acted as interim coach, will have to dig into their pockets for Kühbauer. The still-WAC coach costs a transfer fee. So he is actually moving from second in the table with 17 points to second-last in the table with seven points.

"I want to lead the club to where it belongs"
"I'm very happy to be back at LASK. I always have positive memories of my time here - the club, the fans and the environment. My goal is to work with the team to bring consistency and conviction back into our performances," said Kühbauer. Postscript: "I feel great motivation and want to lead this club to where it belongs!"