It's official

Atalan out, Silberberger takes over in Wolfsberg

Thomas Silberberger takes over in Wolfsberg.(Bild: GEPA)

What the “Krone” had already reported is now official: Wolfsberger AC has parted ways with coach Ismail Atalan. Thomas Silberberger—who was with second-division club Admira until two weeks ago—is taking over immediately at the struggling Lavanttal-based club.

The coaching merry-go-round at Bundesliga club WAC continues to spin merrily. The second-to-last-place team announced the parting of ways with coach Ismail Atalan on Tuesday and immediately introduced his successor, Thomas Silberberger. The 52-year-old Tyrolean was thus without a coaching job for only a very short time after his tenure with second-division side Admira Wacker came to an end on March 23. His first WAC assignment awaits on Saturday (5 p.m.) with a home game against SV Ried.

The Lavanttalers are looking to snap a losing streak of ten consecutive competitive matches without a win. As a result, their lead over FC Blau-Weiß Linz, the bottom team in the relegation group, stands at just four points with seven rounds remaining. Following the Ried match, the two remaining direct showdowns await. Silberberger, who most recently served as a Sky analyst, led his first training session with his new club on Tuesday afternoon. He had already addressed the media for the first time prior to that.

“When WAC contacted me on Sunday, it was clear to me that I absolutely wanted to take this job, because for me, WAC is already a top team in Austria, especially when it comes to its history,” said Silberberger. He noted that the club is currently going through a difficult period. “But I see it as a challenge, and really, we can only move forward from here. It’s a very cool opportunity.”

Dismissal comes as no surprise
Atalan had been with WAC since mid-November, but managed to celebrate only one victory in 13 competitive matches. In addition to three draws, the 46-year-old German suffered nine defeats, including most recently a 1-3 loss to WSG Tirol. His dismissal came as no surprise afterward and had been expected for some time. “Late yesterday evening, on Easter Monday, President Dietmar Riegler relieved Ismail Atalan of his duties as head coach in a personal conversation. The ongoing losing streak prompted the club’s leadership to pull the plug and inject new momentum for the decisive phase of the championship,” the club announced.

Before Atalan, Peter Pacult had to leave after just five games. The Viennese coach had taken over for Dietmar Kühbauer, who had moved to league rival LASK. This makes Silberberger the fourth coach this season to try his luck with the Lavanttal side. Silberberger is familiar with the Bundesliga from his time as coach of WSG Tirol, a role he held until the summer of 2024.