The coaching dominoes are beginning to fall in the German Bundesliga, with the biggest domino setting off a chain reaction that could lead to Jesse Marsch landing his first head coaching job in a top European league.
Julian Nagelsmann is set to become Bayern Munich’s new manager, replacing Hansi Flick, who will take over as German national team coach after the European Championships. Nagelsmann’s move to Bayern from RB Leipzig has left the door open for Jesse Marsch to replace him as manager of the club he served as an assistant coach with just two years ago.
Marsch has been linked to a variety of jobs throughout Europe in recent weeks, and Nagelsmann’s move to Bayern has also made the English Premier League a reported possibility as well given the fact Nagelsmann had been considered a frontrunner to take over at Tottenham.
A move to RB Leipzig appears more likely given Marsch’s understanding of the Red Bull network, having previously served as head coach of the New York Red Bulls before spending a season as an assistant at RB Leipzig prior to accepting his current position with Red Bull Salzburg.
Marsch recently admitted that he considered moving to RB Leipzig an ideal change for him if for some reason Nagelsmann left the club.
“Of course I understand the club very well. If you ask me what would fit best, RB Leipzig is of course a top idea,” Marsch told Sky Sports. “But Julian Nagelsmann is doing a great job and there is currently no reason for Leipzig to look for a new coach. But if I can have the opportunity as a coach in Leipzig, then that’s a great idea for me.”
A move to RB Leipzig would reunited Marsch with Tyler Adams, who he coached at the Red Bulls, and would make him the third American to coach in the Bundesliga, following David Wagner, who managed Schalke, and current Stuttgart manager and fellow American Pellegrino Matarazzo, who has also been identified as a potential candidate for the RB Leipzig position.
Matarazzo has not previously worked at any of the Red Bulls clubs, but does have a connection to current RB Leipzig manager Nagelsmann, having served as an assistant coach for the young manager when the pair were at Hoffenheim during its outstanding 2018-219 season, which finished with a Champions League berth.
Matarazzo is in his first season in the Bundesliga, having helped Stuttgart gain promotion after last season. Stuttgart is currently in 10th place in the Bundesliga, securing a stay in the league despite a recent four-match losing streak.
Matarazzo’s success with Stuttgart has also put him in the conversation for the managerial position at Eintracht Frankfurt, where Adi Hutter is set to leave to take charge at Borussia Moenchengladbach. The Gladbach position was open due to Marco Rose leaving to take over at Borussia Dortmund.
The Bundesliga manager version of Musical Chairs will roll on into the summer, and we could see two Americans with seats when the dust settles.
Bradley you have to factor in it was a new American owner trying to bring in an American coach after the season started when the somewhat provincial fans wanted neither and loudly protested, and the players were not his choices nor very supportive either. Like what some black players have faced in Europe, not all destinations there are welcoming.
He would have the full support of RBL and have been groomed for the job. He will have been an assistant in terms of fan response. Any complaints will be of the talk radio kind, not organized street protests like Swansea stirred up. The one thing will be that a team doing as well as they are will have expectations. How much struggle or growing pains is he indulged. Or does he live up to his resume. I like bringing in consistent winners. But it’s a big jump. We’ll see.
Kicker reporting he’s accepted the Leipzig job. I’m excited for him and think it bodes well for Tyler Adams, as well, who was starting to see more time in the #6 position under Nagelsmann, but should now have an opportunity to make it his own.
I hope Brenden Aaronson continues to improve at Salzburg and maybe gets the chance to link up again with Marsch in Leipzig in a year or two.
It will be interesting to see what he can accomplish at RB Leipzig with a bigger club in a bigger league and with better players than he had at Salzburg.
I hope it happens BUT there is one question remaining… is he ready to work with Top Level players w/ Top Level egos and Top Level administrations w/ Top Level expectations?
…
Vamos Jesse! Let’s make it happen!
He spent a year at Leipzig before going to Salzburg, who would not know at RB front office after six years in their system. He also managed Erling Haaland at Salzburg so that ticks the top player box. Also RBL isn’t buying the Mbappe’s and Neymar’s of the world. They’re getting guys on their way up not established divas. They sell those to Chelsea.
Sorry my comment came offa lot more snarky than I meant it to. Marsch is so much better positioned at Salzburg than Bradley at Swansea even with higher team expectations.
No brainer.