FC Augsburg are set to finish the Bundesliga season in the top half of the table after a convincing 3-1 (2-0) win over Borussia Mönchengladbach, capping off a strong second half of the campaign. The club still have a chance to qualify for European competition on the final matchday, sitting just one point behind seventh-placed SC Freiburg.
Striker Michael Gregoritsch and interim head coach Manuel Baum have been instrumental in Augsburg’s turnaround. Gregoritsch, who previously played for the club between 2017 and 2022, returned on loan from Brøndby IF during the winter transfer window to fill the gap in the center-forward role. He has delivered with six goals and three assists, tying Fabian Rieder and Anton Kade as the club’s top scorers. The 74-time Austrian international netted a brace in the victory over Gladbach.
Augsburg’s sporting director Michael Ströll confirmed to Sky that the club secured a purchase option for Gregoritsch. “We are waiting until the end of the season. We have an option, a possibility to trigger it, which runs until the end of May or mid-June. After the season, we want to sit down with Gregerl calmly, discuss a few things, and then make a decision. For now, he has all the arguments on his side, and we are very happy with him,” Ströll said. According to the Augsburger Allgemeine, the buy option is set at €500,000.
Alongside Gregoritsch, Baum has emerged as one of the heroes of Augsburg’s strong second half. The coach took over from Sandro Wagner in early December, when the club had just 10 points from 12 matches and sat in 14th place. Since then, only six teams have collected more points in the league. With an average of 1.57 points per game across 21 matches, Baum is the most successful manager since promotion-winning coach Jos Luhukay in 2012. In those 21 games, he has recorded nine wins, six draws, and six losses.
Baum’s future remains uncertain, as he is technically the club’s development director. He has repeatedly stressed how much he enjoys working with the youth setup. “It’s important what both sides want,” Ströll told Sky. “It’s not a one-sided decision. We want to sit down, analyze what went well, and see what each party wants. Manuel Baum has done a fantastic job in both roles since I brought him back to Augsburg last summer. He fits the club perfectly, I was clear about that before, and he’s doing a phenomenal job now. The key question is: Is Manuel ready to continue? That’s the most important thing. Right now, there is no better coach for FC Augsburg than Manuel Baum. He truly embodies the club’s strategy and vision. After the season, I believe we’ll sit down, discuss a few things, and make the best decision for the club – similar to what we did in the winter.”
