Heiko Vogel has penned a permanent deal to remain Basel coach until the summer of 2014 after successfully guiding the club to the last 16 in the UEFA Champions League.

The 36-year-old Vogel had been in charge of the club since 13 October, following the departure of former manager Thorsten Fink to German side Hamburg.

Vogel, who stepped up from the role of assistant manager after Fink's exit, has maintained Basel's place at the top of the Swiss Super League standings with a run of six wins and a draw in seven matches. But it was last week's shock 2-1 victory over Manchester United which appears to have finally convinced the Basel board to offer the German the post on a full-time basis.

That victory ensured the reigning Swiss champions second place in Group C, and sent United crashing to an unaccustomed berth in the UEFA Europa League after Christmas.

We have been convinced of Heiko right from the beginning and given the results in the last week this is a logical step.
Bernhard Heusler, Basel vice president

"We have been convinced of Heiko right from the beginning and given the results in the last week this is a logical step," Basel vice president Bernhard Heusler said.

Vogel's graduation into the Basel hot-seat comes despite having no experience as a player at the top level. A keen footballer in his youth, Vogel only managed to play at regional level in Germany with ZV Edenkoben before embarking on a career as a sports teacher.

He became involved in the Bayern Munich youth set-up between 1998 and 2007, coaching at various levels up to Under-17s, before joining German outfit FC Ingolstadt as assistant manager in 2007. He took up the same role at Basel in July 2009.