Borussia Mönchengladbach's Coach Search Amid Bundesliga Crisis
Borussia Mönchengladbach are staring at a crisis after just three Bundesliga matchdays – and the search for a new coach has become urgent business.
Sporting director Rouven Schröder reportedly has around four million euros at his disposal to solve the problem on the touchline. That figure, reported by Bild, gives Gladbach room to manoeuvre. A compensation fee will not scare the Foals off if the right candidate is under contract elsewhere.
Priske high on the list
One of those candidates is Brian Priske. The Sparta Prague coach is, according to Danish outlet Tipsbladet, high on Gladbach’s shortlist. The exact duration of the 49-year-old Dane’s deal in the Czech capital is not publicly known, but the budget suggests Gladbach are prepared to buy him out if necessary.
Priske is not the only name in the frame. Bild also links Alexander Blessin (most recently at St. Pauli), Horst Steffen (currently at SV Werder Bremen), Christian Eichner (Karlsruher SC) and Steffen Baumgart (Union Berlin) with the vacancy.
Schröder is not working alone on the decision. His predecessor Roland Virkus is heavily involved as well. Since July, Virkus has been operating in the Scouting & Recruitment department with a specific focus on “coach scouting”, and he is now helping to sift through the options.
Baumgart stands out for one particular reason: he would bring an edge. A presence on the touchline. And he knows exactly what it means to walk into a storm.
Baumgart’s Köln past – and Gladbach fit
Before his recent spells in Berlin and at HSV, Baumgart coached Gladbach’s arch-rivals 1. FC Köln. Of all clubs. He took over the Billy Goats and, in his first season, dragged them to a sensational seventh-place finish, clinching qualification for the Conference League.
Over 98 matches, he became a hugely popular figure at Köln, before a sporting downturn led to a parting of ways in December 2023. The separation ended a turbulent but impactful era.
Despite that Köln history, Baumgart ticks many of the boxes now being discussed at Gladbach. He has experience at the top level. He has lived through setbacks and fought his way out of them. Decision-makers at the club are also said to value the fact that he has already dealt intensively with Gladbach in the past. He would not arrive needing weeks of video study just to get up to speed.
And time is something the Foals do not have.
A table that makes grim reading
After three league games, Gladbach sit 17th in the Bundesliga. Zero points. A goal difference of 3:12. Only HSV are worse off, still goalless at 0:12.
The latest blow came in Freiburg. A 0:5 collapse at SC Freiburg last weekend did more than just bruise pride – it cost coach Eugen Polanski his job.
Polanski, 40, had initially stepped in as interim coach last season after the dismissal of Gerardo Seoane. Even before this campaign kicked off, doubts about his long-term suitability lingered. Promoted to head coach, he managed an average of just 1.10 points from 29 matches.
The Freiburg humiliation turned concern into a decision.
Now, with the season barely started and the club already under pressure, Schröder and Virkus have a shortlist, a budget, and a fanbase demanding clarity.
The next appointment will not just steady a dugout. It will decide whether this season becomes a rescue mission or something far more damaging.
