According to Bild , former assistant coach Levent Sürme has been tasked this week with holding talks with the candidates. Hannover announced on Wednesday, without giving any further reasons, that Sürme would miss training for the rest of the week because of "special sporting tasks".
The report says he is using that time to meet the various candidates, preferred option Wagner and two alternatives. The talks are said to focus on players, the club's future direction and possible coaching staff setups. It is unusual for the assistant coach of the dismissed predecessor to take on that role.
Following a poor start to the season, with only four points from five games and a 2-1 defeat against 1. FC Nuremberg last Friday, Hannover parted company with Titz on Monday. Hannover currently sit only 15th in the 2. Bundesliga table.
Hannover 96 face VfL Bochum on Sunday
Before the end of this week, the promotion hopefuls want to reach an agreement with a successor. With Wagner, only minor details are said to remain unresolved. Interim coach Lars Barlemann is still set to take charge of the team against VfL Bochum on Sunday. The international break will then bring a two-week pause in the 2. Bundesliga, giving the new coach time to settle in.
Since 2025, Sürme has worked as an assistant coach in Hanover. Despite Titz's dismissal, the 43-year-old Turk was allowed to stay on, with his contract still running until 2027. Wagner coached FC Augsburg last season before his dismissal in December. Since then, the 38-year-old former assistant to ex-Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has been without a club.