Thomas Klasen
Birth date16 September 1983 (age 42)
Birth placeNeuwied, West Germany
Height1.82 m[1]
PositionLeft winger
CurrentclubEintracht Trier (head coach)
Youthyears 1–2002
Youthclubs 11. FC Kaiserslautern
Youthyears 22002
Youthclubs 2TuS Mayen
Years 12002–2003
Clubs 1TuS Mayen
Caps 136
Goals 116
Years 22003–2006
Clubs 2Eintracht Trier
Caps 248
Goals 28
Years 32006–2007
Clubs 31. FC Kaiserslautern II
Caps 328
Goals 30
Years 42007–2009
Clubs 4Kickers Emden
Caps 436
Goals 43
Years 52009–2010
Clubs 5SV Elversberg
Caps 520
Goals 52
Years 62010–2013
Clubs 6TuS Koblenz
Caps 678
Goals 613
Years 72013–2017
Clubs 7FC Karbach
Caps 756
Goals 722
Totalcaps302
Totalgoals64
Manageryears 12016–2017
Managerclubs 1FC Karbach (player-assistant)
Manageryears 22018
Managerclubs 2Fola Esch
Manageryears 32019–2023
Managerclubs 31. FC Köln II (assistant)
Manageryears 42023–
Managerclubs 4Eintracht Trier

Thomas Klasen (born 16 September 1983) is a German professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Regionalliga Südwest club Eintracht Trier.[2]

Playing career

Klasen began his football career in the youth academies of 1. FC Kaiserslautern and TuS Mayen, where he progressed from the under-19 team to the first team.[3] In the 2003–04 season, he joined Eintracht Trier in the 2. Bundesliga.[1] After two seasons in Germany's second tier, Trier was relegated to the Regionalliga Süd.[4]

In January 2006, Klasen moved to the reserve team of 1. FC Kaiserslautern before signing with Kickers Emden for the 2007–08 season on a contract until 2009.[1] However, his contract was terminated early in January 2009, and he joined SV Elversberg, where he played until June 2010.[5] Klasen then signed with TuS Koblenz in the 3. Liga on a contract lasting until 2012.[6] Following Koblenz' relegation to the Regionalliga, he extended his contract until 2013 but departed afterward.

For the 2013–14 season, Klasen joined FC Karbach in the Rheinlandliga, serving as both a player and assistant coach.[7] He scored 16 goals in his first season and helped the team achieve promotion to the Oberliga in 2015. Klasen retired from playing on 30 June 2017.[8]

Managerial career

In the 2016–17 season, Klasen served as assistant coach at FC Karbach. On 6 February 2018, Luxembourg's top-tier club CS Fola Esch announced his appointment as head coach, with a contract running until 30 June 2020.[9][10][11] However, after losing the first two matches of the 2018–19 season, Klasen was dismissed on the second matchday and replaced by Jeff Strasser.[12]

From August 2019 to the end of the 2022–23 season, Klasen worked as an assistant coach for 1. FC Köln's reserves.[13]

In June 2023, Eintracht Trier, recently relegated from the Regionalliga, appointed Klasen as head coach for the 2023–24 season.[14] Under his leadership, the team achieved an immediate return to the Regionalliga, securing the Oberliga championship in dominant fashion with seven matchdays remaining in the season.[15]

Personal life

In 2015, while serving as player-coach for FC Karbach, Klasen pursued a degree in primary education with a focus on German language and sports. He aimed to combine teaching with youth coaching and worked toward advanced coaching certifications, including the DFB-Elite-Jugend-Lizenz.[8]

Managerial statistics

[2]

Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecord
PWDLWin %
Fola Esch6 February 201816 August 2018
Eintracht Trier1 July 2023Present
Total

Honours

SV Elversberg

FC Karbach

References

  1. ^ "Thomas Klasen | Laufbahn | Spielerprofil" (in de-DE). kicker. Archived 16 December 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  2. ^
  3. ^ Schössler, Hans-Peter (22 February 2024). "Eine Fußballfamilie mit prägendem Einfluss - Thomas Klasen und die Eintracht Trier" (in de-DE). Wochenspiegel. Archived 15 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Abstieg im Jubiläumsjahr: Trier vor dem Absturz ins Bodenlose" (in German). RP ONLINE. 23 May 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Emden holen Mayer und geben Klasen ab" (in German). SPOX. 2 February 2009. Archived 16 December 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  6. ^ "TuS-Koblenz: Thomas Klasen als Neuzugang verpflichtet" (in German). Rhein-Zeitung. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  7. ^ "FC Karbach holt Klasen als Torjäger und Co-Trainer" (in German). Rhein-Zeitung. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  8. ^ Smandzich, Dennis (8 June 2015). "Thomas Klasen: Feine Füßchen, helles Köpfchen" (in German). Fussball.de. Archived 12 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Willkommen, Welcome, Bienvenu THOMAS KLASEN, nouveau coach du CS FOLA" (in German). CS Fola Esch. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018.
  10. ^ In der BGL Ligue: Klasen wird neuer Fola-Trainer‚ wort.lu, 5 February 2018
  11. ^ Elvinger, Dan (5 February 2018). "Fola: Klasen ersetzt Serredszum" (in de-DE). Tageblatt Lëtzebuerg. Archived 1 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Strasser zurück zur Fola" (in de-DE). Tageblatt Lëtzebuerg. 16 August 2018. Archived 1 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Klasen ist neuer Co-Trainer" (in German). 1. FC Köln. 8 August 2019. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Klasen wird neuer Cheftrainer bei Eintracht Trier" (in de-DE). kicker. 12 June 2023. Archived 13 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  15. ^ "Eintracht Trier steigt in die Regionalliga auf – Sieg über FCK II" (in German). SWR Sport. 12 April 2024. Archived 21 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2024.