Fuchs Resigns From Newport County, Club Chairman Shocked
July 3, 2026 · Global
Christian Fuchs has resigned as Newport County coach because he feels he is not ready for the challenge of next season. Club chairman Huw Jenkins said the decision was surprising and sad.
Christian Fuchs has resigned from his post as Newport County coach because he felt he did not have much to offer, club chairman Huw Jenkins said in a statement. The former Austrian defender resigned on June 27 after serving for seven months at the League Two club. Fuchs himself has not explained in detail the reasons behind his decision, which comes less than two months after he helped the club stay in the Football League on the final day of last season.
In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport Wales, Jenkins revealed he was "shocked" and "disappointed" by Fuchs' decision. "Christian has given his view that he wants to step down, and I can't change his mind," said Jenkins, who is looking for his fourth coach in more than two years. "He didn't explain much to me, he just felt that at the moment, he doesn't have much that we can rely on going forward. He felt that last season, especially the last few months, was very draining."
Jenkins also mentioned that Fuchs, who lives in the north of England, has "a lot of other things to deal with in his life". "He doesn't feel ready for the challenges that lie ahead this season and that's all. It's a complicated situation. He has his own views on why he wants to step down, and you'll have to speak directly to him to get more details about that," added Jenkins.
Fuchs has not yet responded to BBC Sport Wales' request to explain the reasons for his resignation. However, Jenkins stressed that Newport must immediately resume their move as the players return to training for the 2026-27 campaign. "As far as I know, Christian has made his feelings clear that he is not in a position to continue with us at Newport County, and I'm afraid that when people tell you things like that, you have to accept it and move on," said Jenkins.
"When I came home from meeting him last Saturday, after eating with him, my only thought was 'What do I do now?', 'What do we do next?' We didn't expect to be in this position. We don't want to be in this position. We have to look for the next coach, as usual. Hopefully we can find the right fit in the next few weeks and steer our season in the right direction.”
Fuchs' resignation means Jenkins will have to look for a new coach for the third time in a row, having previously appointed former Manchester United academy coach David Hughes in 2025 and Portuguese coach Nelson Jardim in 2024. Jenkins hopes a new coach can be appointed before County start their League Two campaign on August 15.
Meanwhile, former County defender Chris Todd, who joined the coaching staff at Rodney Parade in March, will oversee the start of pre-season training after being appointed as caretaker coach following Fuchs' resignation. "Chris has had the opportunity to adapt to the role and do his best, but I already know what he can bring to us," said Jenkins.
"What happens next depends on who is available on the market. After making the statement about Christian leaving, I got 50 or 60 names interested in the coaching job very quickly. Most of them you can ignore in two minutes, then you see which ones might be a good fit for us and that obviously takes longer to sift through."
Former Newport coach James Rowberry and former County midfielder Andrew Crofts – both part of Craig Bellamy's Wales coaching staff – are among those who have been linked with the position. Some fans want former Wales boss Mark Hughes, who left his position as Carlisle boss in May, while former Bolton and West Ham striker Kevin Nolan has also been mentioned as a potential candidate.
“Two or three of the names were new to me – they weren't on the original list,” Jenkins said. "A lot of names are floating around and being talked about, but we can't forget where we were last year and where we are as a club at this point."
The former Swansea City chairman emphasized the importance of ensuring that whoever he appoints is the right choice for Newport. "Are we just going with the flow by taking on coaches who move from club to club and get fired every week?" added Jenkins. "I need to do better than that, to make sure we make good choices. I think it's important to make everything clear before the season starts. But I want it to happen before then, so that everyone is fully prepared and behind the next coach, whoever it is... I think the timetable is as simple as that.","slug":"fuchs-resigns-from-newport-county-club-chairman-shocked","seoTitle":"Fuchs Resigns From Newport County, Club Chairman Shocked","metaDescription":"Newport County chairman Huw Jenkins stated that Christian Fuchs' decision to step down as coach came as a surprise to many.","keywords":null,"category":["Other"],
