Barnsley have reappointed Daniel Stendel as head coach on a two-year contract, bringing the German back to Oakwell more than five years after his first spell ended. The 52-year-old returns after Conor Hourihane stepped down at the end of the season, with Barnsley finishing 15th in League One.

Stendel is remembered at Barnsley for the promotion campaign of 2019, when he took the club up from the third tier with a club-record 91 points. He was sacked in October 2019 after a poor start to the next season, but the club has now turned back to the manager who once gave it one of its most productive modern years.

Chairman Neerav Parekh said the return is about results on the pitch and identity. Barnsley want to rebuild the connection between the fans, the town and the football club, and they believe Stendel fits that brief because of what happened the first time around. During that earlier spell, the side played high-intensity football, leaned on young players and finished a season unbeaten at home in the league.

That first Barnsley team left a mark because it was both successful and memorable. Parekh said the group of young players grew together and went on to reach the highest levels of the game, a reference to the lasting value the club still attaches to that campaign. Barnsley have spent the years since trying to get back to that level of momentum after relegation from the Championship in 2022 and two consecutive League One play-off finishes, including the 2023 final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley.

Hourihane, the former captain who took over in March 2025, could not steer the club into the top end of the table before Barnsley confirmed four games from the end of the season that he would be leaving. Stendel’s comeback gives the club a familiar figure with a strong emotional link to supporters, but also a manager who arrives with a clear expectation attached: better results, a stronger identity and a team that plays with energy, bravery and pride.

Stendel began his coaching career with Hanover 96 in 2007, later had spells with Hearts and Nancy, and returned to Germany to take charge of Hanover 96’s second team. On his return to South Yorkshire, he said Barnsley is a place that means a great deal to him and that he is looking forward to reconnecting with old friends while getting to know new faces around the club and in the town. He added that he cannot wait to get back to work and start the next chapter together. Barnsley’s contract includes an option for a third year, which underlines how much is riding on the next stage of the rebuild.