Hecking takes over at Wolfsburg

Hecking will be Wolfsburg's next head coach, the club said Saturday in a statement on its website.

The 48-year-old Hecking will take over from interim head coach Lorenz-Günther Köstner, who will return to his job as head of the club's second team. Köstner temporarily took over the team after Felix Magath was fired in October.

German media had reported earlier in the week that former Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster was set to get the job. The deal was said to have been nearly finalized, but Schuster reportedly had certain demands about finances and assistant coaches that Wolfsburg were unable to meet.

Hecking joined Nuremberg as head coach in 2009, and was contracted with them until 2014.

Sporting Director Klaus Allofs, himself a recent arrival from Werder Bremen, confirmed the appointment Saturday.

"We have reached an agreement," he told the mass circulation Bild newspaper.

Hecking said he had good talks with Allofs about the move.

"He explained to me why he wanted me and showed me the club's perspective," said Hecking.

"Of course family and economic reasons played a role," added Hecking, whose family lives just 100 km (62 miles) away from Wolfsburg in Bad Nenndorf.

Wolfsburg currently sit 15th in the Bundesliga table, one point below Hecking's former club, Nuremberg.

dr/hc (dpa, AFP, AP)