Did they? I'm pretty sure they said it was the same contract as every Head Coach has had recently - 12 months rolling.
From page 1 of the engagement notes..... Have you got him on a good contract to keep him then? We want to keep him as long as possible. As long as he wants to stay. I think Daniel is a very ambitious person and he wants the challenge of the Championship and we want to upon that give all the resources the club can afford to not just survive but to compete up the table.
https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2018/june/stendel-announced/ Article at the time said he signed a 2 year deal. I'd definitely be looking to extend it now. He's been an outstanding appointment. I genuinely think he's my 2nd favourite manager.
It's all character building for the guy. You come away from home to a foreign land with a language barrier. You try to learn the language and then lose your right hand man and mouth piece yet still smile.