RB Leipzig have dismissed head coach Marco Rose following a disappointing campaign in both the Bundesliga and Europe.
“Marco Rose has been relieved of his duties as RB Leipzig head coach with immediate effect,” the club announced. “The club will announce who will take over the head coach role on an interim basis in due course.”
Leipzig currently sit sixth in the Bundesliga table after a 1-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach, who overtook them in fifth place. With Germany likely to secure four Champions League spots next season, Leipzig are three points behind fourth-placed Mainz, who also have a game in hand.
The club are reportedly interested in Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who previously managed Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. Jürgen Klopp, Red Bull’s head of global soccer, is said to be an admirer of Glasner, who led Frankfurt to the Europa League title in 2022.
“We have believed in our co-operation with Marco and his team for a very long time and, up to now, tried everything to turn things around together,” said RB Leipzig’s managing director for sport, Marcel Schäfer.
“Given the development and the continued lack of results, we’re all firmly convinced that we need new impetus for the remainder of the campaign in order to achieve our aims for the season,” Schäfer added. “We’d like to thank Marco and his coaching team for the success we enjoyed together and their commitment to the club.”
Originally, Leipzig had planned to part ways with Rose at the end of the season but have decided to act now to boost their chances of securing a top-four finish. Assistant coaches Alexander Zickler, Marco Kurth, and Frank Geideck, along with head of first-team football Frank Aehlig, have also left the club.
Rose, 48, was appointed in September 2022, replacing Domenico Tedesco. During his tenure, he led Leipzig to the German Cup in the 2022-23 season, defeating Glasner’s Eintracht Frankfurt in the final, and also secured the German Super Cup in 2023.
Despite reaching the German Cup semi-finals this season and preparing to face Stuttgart for a spot in the final, Leipzig’s European campaign was disastrous. They won just one of their eight matches in the new Champions League “league phase,” finishing in 32nd place and exiting the tournament early.
In January, Rose had expressed excitement about working with Klopp, who had recently taken on a role within Red Bull. “We’re looking forward to his network, to his experience, to him as a person,” Rose stated. “It’s always good to get new input and learn something new.”
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich defender Hiroki Ito has suffered another setback, breaking a metatarsal bone in his right foot just weeks after returning from a similar injury. Ito had previously broken a metatarsal in July after his transfer from Stuttgart and only recently made his comeback. The defender was injured late in Bayern’s 3-2 win over St Pauli and will now be sidelined for an extended period.
Ito is the third Bayern defender to be ruled out in recent days, following injuries to Dayot Upamecano and Alphonso Davies sustained during international duty. Bayern, who lead the Bundesliga by six points, are set to face Inter in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on April 8.
