June 28 – Manager Alexander Blessin has departed Belgian club Union Saint Gilloise for St Pauli in Germany.
The German is returning home to lead the Hamburg-based cult club which gained promotion to the Bundesliga. Blessin had previously stated that he wanted to stay in the Belgian capital, but could not resist the lure of St Pauli.
In a statement, the club said: “Union was keen to keep its coach on board, but Blessin is moving to his homeland for personal reasons. Blessin was voted Coach of the Year in the Jupiler Pro League last season. With our club, he finished second in the league and won the Belgian Cup.
“That was our first trophy at the highest level in 89 years. In Europe, we qualified for the Europa League. After a win against Liverpool, among others, Union continued its European adventure in the Conference League and also eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt.”
Blessin led Union to their first trophy in decades by winning the Belgian Cup. The club yet again missed out on clinching the title, even after they dominated the regular season. Ultimately, Union had to settle for the runner-up position. It’s the third season in a row that the Union will need to look for a new manager after Felix Mazzu and Karel Geaerts both departed following successful stints at the Dudenpark.
In Hamburg, Blessin will succeed Fabian Hürzeler, who will manage Brighton & Hove Albion next season.
In a first statement, Blessin said: “FC St. Pauli has enormous competitive power in Germany but also internationally.
“The club stands for clear values and for ambitious work in top sport. It is also a great achievement for this club to be able to feature in the Bundesliga after a long time in the second division. I really look forward to meeting the top teams in the coming days at the Millerntor.”
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