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Struggling Wolfsburg fire manager Paul Simonis after short tenure

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Paul Simonis has reportedly been fired by Wolfsburg
Paul Simonis has reportedly been fired by WolfsburgSelim Sudheimer / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP

Bundesliga outfit VfL Wolfsburg have parted ways with Dutch manager Paul Simonis, the club confirmed on Sunday.

Along with Paul Simonis, assistants Peter van der Veen, Tristan Berghuis, and Martin Darneviel have also been relieved of their duties.

The 40-year-old Simonis was appointed by Wolfsburg in the summer of 2025 after a historic season with Dutch Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles, with whom the Dutchman won the KNVB Beker, the club's first major trophy since the 1930s.

Simonis was appointed as the successor to former Leipzig and Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Dutchman had very little success with the Wolves, however, winning just two of his twelve games in charge of the club.

Wolfsburg lost five of their last six games across all competitions, with their 2-1 away loss at Werder Bremen the latest. This negative streak has put Wolfsburg in 14th place with eight points, just one more than 16th-placed St. Pauli.

The former Bundesliga champions were eliminated from the DFB Pokal by 2. Bundesliga Holstein Kiel, who beat Wolfsburg 1-0 in the latter's own Volkswagen Arena.

Confidence in Simonis

Earlier this week, Wolfsburg technical director Sebastian Schindzielorz told Kicker that the club had confidence in Simonis: "We have to do it together. We'll take the positives with us and go into the next match together."

After Friday's loss in Bremen, however, Schindzielorz had a less convincing opinion about the Dutchman's functioning.

"After the match, I find it difficult to comment," said the technical director. "The fact is that we expect much more than we showed today in the second half, but also in recent weeks. The criticism is justified, and we have to face up to it."

Wolfsburg's recent form
Wolfsburg's recent formFlashscore

Simonis appeared to have little confidence in the club keeping him around, too. "This is perhaps the toughest defeat of my career," Simonis told Sky Sports. "I don't know anything about my future; that's not up to me. I'm concentrating on my work, but we'll see what happens."

Paul Simonis, who was on Ajax's shortlist to replace Francesco Farioli last summer and could become a coaching candidate again following John Heitinga's dismissal, was under contract at Wolfsburg until 2027.