Bayern Munich confirmed that head coach Hansi Flick will be replaced by Julian Nagelsmann next season. The Bavarians triggered the coach’s release clause to sign him from RB Leipzig. Meanwhile, Leipzig themselves have struck a deal with Jesse Marsch to take over the senior team duties.
A peculiar situation has arisen in Germany. Most of the top teams, and the German National Team, have appointed new head coaches – or are in talks to do so – for the following season, despite the current campaign still ongoing. The biggest managerial change has come at the top of the Bundesliga, with RB Leipzig manager Julian Naglesmann confirmed to be in charge of leaders Bayern Munich next season onward.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly when the first domino fell, which later led to each of the top clubs scrambling around for new managers. However, the situation can be divided into two phases. The first one saw a pack of clubs with European hopes poach each other’s head coach. The second one was larger in scale, as it involved the two top teams in Germany and the German FA.
The events which resulted in Bayern Munich appointing Naglesmann as their manager started when Joachim Low announced his decision to step down from his role as the head coach of the German national team. The World Cup winner stated his intention to leave the role he had occupied for over 15 years once the 2021 European Championships concluded.
As a result, the German FA began their search for Low’s successor. Recently, Low’s former assistant, and current Bayern Munich head coach, Hansi Flick revealed his desire to take over the national team. While Bayern played down Flick’s comments publicly, they approached Nagelsmann to take charge of the senior team next season. The German tactician and his team RB Leipzig were still involved in the title race when the offer from Bayern arrived.
Bayern announced that Naglesmann would be replacing Flick next season on April 27. Leipzig, to fill the soon to be vacant role, approached their sister club RB Salzburg. An official announcement arrived on April 29, confirming that Marsch will be in charge of Die Roten Bullen starting next season. Marsch previously coached another club in the RB syndicate. The American tactician was in charge of New York Red Bulls from 2015 till 2018 before moving to Austria.
The report also claims that Eintracht Frankfurt were also interested in appointing Marsch in place of Adi Hutter. The latter had previously agreed to join Borussia Monchengladbach next season in yet another set of peculiar events. Hutter’s move to Gladbach was confirmed recently despite Frankfurt competing for one of the UEFA Champions League spots. The Austrian head coach was brought in by the Foals to replace Marco Rose, who will be heading to Borussia Dortmund once the current season is over.
Meanwhile, the Bundesliga managerial carousel continues with Wolfsburg head coach Oliver Glasner also set to depart. Glasner has been linked with the vacancies at Frankfurt and Salzburg, with both teams losing their managers to other Bundesliga outfits. The Austrian coach is close to returning Wolfsburg to the Champions League, with the Wolves currently third in the German top division. However, reports state that his relationship with sporting director Jorg Schmadtke is broken, which could lead to his departure from the club.
Former Bayern player Mark van Bommel is said to be in advanced negotiations to take over from Glasner. Current Dortmund interim head coach Edin Terzic is also said to be an option for the Wolves.
