At Borussia Mönchengladbach, after this messed-up season, there should first be a big analysis, then a big upheaval. The team, coach and maybe sports director Roland Virkus are affected.
On Wednesday afternoon (05/24/2023) Virkus was able to report another success, he managed a transfer, even from FC Bayern Munich. 19-year-old attacker Grant-Leon Ranos comes next season free of charge from the offspring of the soon-to-be ex-champion, he signed a four-year contract at Borussia-Park.
Search for Thuram successor
Whether Ranos will be an immediate reinforcement is open. It is also possible that he will initially attack for the Gladbach U23. What is certain is that Ranos will not be the desperately sought successor solution for Marcus Thuram. This cause is currently the second most important in the upcoming upheaval in Mönchengladbach. Without an adequate replacement for VfL’s top scorer (13 goals), it will be even more difficult in the coming season than in the current one – then there is even a threat of a fight against relegation.
Even more important than finding a striker is dealing with the coaching position. Several media recently reported that the separation from Daniel Farke had been decided after just one year, despite the contract until 2025, but had not yet been announced. Virkus first went into hiding, then belatedly explained that all personnel decisions would only be made after a comprehensive analysis of the entire season.
Virkus does not like the public
When asked by a sports woman whether the word “everything” was also about his own position, the sports director replied: “It remains the intention to analyze everything carefully and to draw conclusions for the new season.” So Virkus expressly did not rule out that a realignment would also involve Virkus.
The successor to the media-savvy Max Eberl, who now works in Leipzig, still doesn’t like being in the public eye at all. After the games he faces the journalists again and again, even after defeats. But he can also very well do without it, he also doesn’t like television interviews, and certainly not studio appearances. He does the bare minimum because it’s part of his job description, but he’d much rather take care of the sports alone.
Too many stars are gone for free
So far he hasn’t done too much wrong. The fact that the rebuilding is made extremely difficult, for example, by the fact that big calibers like Thuram and Ramy Bensebaini simply let their contracts expire and are now going free, is more the legacy of his predecessor. Eberl had also not managed to earn money for national defender Matthias Ginter, who also went without a transfer and has now brought SC Freiburg on course for Europe.
The case was similar with Denis Zakaria, as Eberl initially blocked the sale, then no buyer was found, and ultimately the top-class player was sold to Juventus Turin for the mini-summer of 4.1 million euros. All that money for Zakaria, Ginter, Bensebaini and Thuram is now missing for Virkus to rebuild.
Ngoumou transfer so far without value
What Virkus can be accused of is eight million euros for his previous king transfer Nathan Ngoumou. The Frenchman never became a regular and has only scored one goal. Virkus also had no luck in the search for a successor to Adi Hütter: the team got worse under Daniel Farke, only called up their potential in highlight games, only had ten season points away from home, and no player has really developed positively under Farke.
However, the coach is not wrong in pointing out that he will definitely finish the season in the area of Virkus’ target. “We agreed that a season between seventh and twelfth place is the realistic goal. Now we’re either eleventh or even tenth and have stopped the downward trend of the past few years.”says farke. What goals now after the departure of many top performers – in addition to Thuram and Bensebaini, captain Lars Stindl and possibly Nico Elvedi and Florian Neuhaus – will be given for the coming season is still in the stars.
Speculations about a new start with Spycher and Seoane
It is not even certain whether Virkus will issue this specification again. A complete change, for example with the Bern sports director Christoph Spycher and a trainer like Gerardo Seone (last Leverkusen, before that with Spycher in Bern) is already being discussed around the Borussia Park. The results of the big analysis in the coming week are definitely awaited with excitement.