Wolfsburg and coach Felix Magath have parted ways following the club's abysmal start to the Bundesliga season.

The club said Thursday in a statement that Magath "offered to be relieved of his duties because he did not want the club to be adversely affected."

Former reserve team coach Lorenz-Guenther Koestner will take over for the second time as interim coach.

Magath's position came under scrutiny after four league losses in a row and seven without a win left the club at the bottom of the standings after eight games.

The 59-year-old Magath was in his second stint in charge of Wolfsburg after leading the club to the 2009 title.

"During both terms with Wolfsburg he showed tremendous commitment and achieved great things for our club, the city of Wolfsburg and sport in the whole region," Wolfsburg chairman Francisco Garcia-Sanz said. "The focus is now on the upcoming games to get back to mid-table in the league as soon as possible."

Wolfsburg's only win was at Stuttgart on the opening day of the season. It has five points after drawing two more games.