Wolfsburg part ways with Klaus Allofs

The Bundesliga side have had a poor start to the season and the sporting director has paid the price by being shown the door

Wolfsburg have parted company with sporting director Klaus Allofs following the club's disappointing start to the 2016-17 campaign.

Allofs joined Wolfsburg in November 2012 and oversaw the club's development from a relegation candidate that season to DFB-Pokal winners and Bundesliga runners-up in 2014-15.

However, Wolfsburg have failed to build on those successes and sit 15th in the table following their 5-0 battering at the hands of Bayern Munich at the weekend, signalling the end for Allofs.

"Following extensive analysis over the past few weeks, we came to the conclusion to make a change in his position due to the precarious sporting situation, in the hope of making a fresh start," chairman of the board of management Francisco Javier Garcia Sanz told Wolfsburg's official website.

"It was a step we considered carefully and one which was not easy for us to make, considering the exceptional work done by Klaus Allofs for the club, as well as our personal relationship with him.

"Taking into account the acute relegation battle we now find ourselves in, we had to make a decision for the future of Wolfsburg.

"We are extremely grateful to Klaus Allofs for the work he has done here. He came to us during a difficult phase, saved the club from relegation and led us to new sporting highs. The titles we won and our Champions League participation are proof of that. He also did a lot in developing the positive image of VfL."

Wolfsburg's poor start to the season previously cost head coach Dieter Hecking his job in October.