Thomas Klasen

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.

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. In the 2003–04 season, he joined Eintracht Trier in the 2. Bundesliga.

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. Klasen then signed with TuS Koblenz in the 3. Liga on a contract lasting until 2012. 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. 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.

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. However, after losing the first two matches of the 2018–19 season, Klasen was dismissed on the second matchday and replaced by Jeff Strasser.

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

In June 2023, Eintracht Trier, recently relegated from the Regionalliga, appointed Klasen as head coach for the 2023–24 season. 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.

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.

Managerial statistics

Honours SV Elversberg Saarland Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10

FC Karbach Rheinlandliga: 2014–15