Stevens appointed new Schalke coach

Huub Stevens has been appointed as coach of German club Schalke, replacing Ralf Rangnick who stepped down last week.

The Bundesliga side on Tuesday said that the Dutch-born Stevens had agreed to a contract through 2013. He was to take over the training on Tuesday.

Stevens, 57, previously coached Schalke from 1996 to 2002, becoming the club's longest-serving coach. He led the club to the UEFA Cup title in 1997, the German Cup in 2001 and 2002, and came agonisingly close to winning the league in 2001 when Bayern Munich snatched the title.

Rangnick, 53, surprised the team by leaving on Thursday after just six months in charge due to "burn out." Rangnick had taken over from Felix Magath at the end of March.

Stevens was the favorite to take over at Hamburger SV, another former club, following the sacking of Michael Oenning but talks broke down on Sunday evening.

He also coached German sides Hertha Berlin and Cologne, as well as Dutch clubs Roda JC and PSV Eindhoven. His most recent job was with RB Salzburg, which he led to the Austrian title in 2010.