Thomas Reis has found a new club. Following his departure from Samsunspor, the 52-year-old is heading to Bulgaria to join Ludogorez Razgrad.
In February, Thomas Reis was unexpectedly fired by Samsunspor. Five months after his departure, the former coach of VfL Bochum and FC Schalke 04 is now moving on to Bulgaria—to top club Ludogorez Razgrad.
The club from the northeast of the country won the Bulgarian championship 14 times in a row, holding the record for the longest championship streak of any club in Europe. That streak came to an end last season: the capital city club Levski Sofia dethroned Razgrad, which finished the season in second place. Now Reis is tasked with leading the club back to the championship.
Reis coached Bochum and Schalke
In Germany, the 52-year-old coached VfL Wolfsburg’s U-19 team for three years before taking over VfL Bochum’s professional team in September 2019. The Wertheim native led VfL back to the Bundesliga in the 2020–21 season. After being fired in September 2022, Reis took over FC Schalke 04 a month and a half later. Despite a strong second half of the season, Reis failed to keep S04 in the league and was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga along with the Ruhr Valley club. Due to a poor start to the season, Reis was suspended from his duties on September 27, 2023, in Gelsenkirchen.
Surprise Departure from Samsunspor
After Reis took over Samsunspor in the summer of 2024, he led the Süper Lig club to a strong third-place finish behind Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, securing a spot in the Conference League. Last season, his team made it through the Conference League group stage qualifiers and only failed to secure direct qualification for the round of 16 after a 0–2 loss to FSV Mainz 05 in their final head-to-head match. In February, following two consecutive losses, the club parted ways with the German coach in a completely unexpected move.
The season in Bulgaria kicks off again on July 18. So Reis doesn’t have much time to get up to speed. To secure a spot in the Conference League, they’ll also face Hapoel Tel Aviv in the qualifiers. First up, the Bulgarians will play the first leg in Tel Aviv on July 23.
