Academy

“Vindication of our work”

Academy director Michael Gentner speaks about players earning their Bundesliga debuts and a pattern being implemented throughout the club.

The Wolves U19s rounded off a busy first half of their season in style on 14 December, defeating 1. FC Heidenheim 5-4 on penalties to make it through to the DFB Cup semi-final. With 2026 just around the corner, academy director Michael Gentner, who recently signed a contract extension through 2030, spoke about the past few months and explained how Jan Bürger and Pharell Hensel had to truly earn their professional debuts.

The VfL Academy now has over 90 competitive matches under its belt. Which memories particularly stand out to you?

Gentner: “First and foremost, it’s obviously the things that resonated most outside the club. That includes Jan Bürger’s Bundesliga debut, which is something that we’re incredibly proud of. We’re also delighted with the likes of Till Neininger, Trevor Benedict and Bruno Katz making it into the first-team squad. Something that I’m also really pleased about is the fact that the ties with the first team have become even closer over the past six months.”

Talk us through how you’re currently working with the first team…

Gentner: “We were already cooperating with Paul Simonis and his staff on a close level, and one of the reasons for that is no doubt the fact that Daniel Bauer, Julian Klamt and Tobias Holm have known our players for years and have a really good feeling for them. Getting them involved takes courage and the right kind of momentum. At the end of the day, though, it always comes down to performance in the Bundesliga, and players like Jan Bürger and Pharell Hensel have earned this particular milestone. They weren’t gifted their Bundesliga debuts.”

An entire coaching staff – Daniel Bauer, Julian Klamt and Tobias Holm – have made the step up from the academy to the first team. What effect does that have on the academy?

Gentner: “It shows the recognition that they have been given by those at pro level and a clear vindication of the quality of our work. It demonstrates courage and faith in the academy – and that there’s a clear pattern running through the club that is being implemented. It’s something we’re very grateful for, and at the same time, it highlights the individual quality of Daniel, Julian and Tobias. Our mission is to develop not only top-level players but also other club employees. This development does bring with it structural challenges though, because we’re now without three very important coaches in the academy. As such, we need to think about how we compensate for this loss internally and whether we target people externally if necessary.”

Das VfL-Wolfsburg Trainerteam Julian Klamt, Daniel Bauer und Tobias Holm steht auf dem Trainingsplatz.

How important is this short break for you after such an intensive period?

Gentner: “Christmas is actually the only time of year when football goes a bit quiet in Germany, and this break has definitely done us good. I watched the home game against SC Freiburg with my family and then we headed south on 23 December, and enjoyed a very peaceful family Christmas period with my brothers and my mother.”

Looking ahead to next year, what are the main aims for the VfL Academy?

Gentner: “We’ve deliberately set the bar very high – and that’s no bad thing. What we want to do is maintain the level that we’ve achieved and to carry on improving in all areas, both on a technical and personal level. We want to continue to develop our young players so that they become genuine options for the first team.”