German coach and former Beşiktaş player Stefan Kuntz arrived in Istanbul Tuesday to take over the Turkish national football team, according to media reports.

The 58-year-old has coached the German national under-21 team since 2016, leading it to two U-21 European titles in 2017 and 2021.

The German will replace Şenol Güneş, who stepped down as Turkey's coach after a 6-1 World Cup qualifier drubbing against the Netherlands last week.

A former striker, Kuntz played for several top German clubs at the time, including VfL Bochum, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Arminia Bielefeld.

He scored 75 goals in his 170 appearances for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Kuntz was also the highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga in 1986 and 1994.

Kuntz's connection with Turkey goes back to the 1995/1996 season, when he represented Istanbul powerhouse Beşiktaş, scoring nine goals in 30 matches.

He also won 25 caps for the German national team from 1993 to 1997, scoring six goals.

Kuntz reached the 1994 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals and won UEFA Euro 1996 with the national team.