Winless Ingolstadt turn to Walpurgis

Bundesliga strugglers Ingolstadt have appointed Maik Walpurgis as their new head coach on a one-and-a-half-year contract.

Walpurgis was most recently in charge of third-tier VfL Osnabruck and succeeds Markus Kauczinski after 10 winless games in the Bundesliga this season.

Kauczinski stepped in after Ralph Hasenhuttl’s departure to RB Leipzig but was unable to replicate his predecessor’s success, which saw Ingolstadt achieve an 11th-place finish in their maiden top-flight season last time around.

“The Bundesliga has always been the big goal for me, so today is a special day for me,” Walpurgis told the club’s official website, having ended Michael Henke’s brief tenure as interim boss.

#Schanzer got their new manager: Maik #Walpurgis joins FC Ingolstadt 04! pic.twitter.com/isc1K6dGF5

— FC Ingolstadt 04_EN (@Schanzer_EN) November 12, 2016

“I am burning for this challenge and am absolutely convinced that we can do it and be celebrating at the end of the season.

“We will face the task with full commitment, all our passion and courage.”

Walpurgis is joined at Ingolstadt by his former Osnabruck assistant Ovid Hajou.

Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Augsburg, thanks to late goals from Raul Bobadilla and Halil Altintop, proved to be Kauczinski’s last stand, although Hamburg lie below Ingolstadt on goal difference at the foot of the table.