According to “SN”, Glasner is the replacement candidate
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Surprising news from Austria: Jürgen Klopp is no longer undisputed at Red Bull due to the lack of sporting development. This was reported by the “Salzburg News“. In the course of this, there is speculation about an early departure for the 58-year-old. The company would not put any obstacles in Klopp’s way if he wanted to work as a coach again, it is said.
Transfermarkt asked what was true about the report. Managing director Oliver Mintzlaff explained: “This is complete nonsense and completely out of thin air. On the contrary: we are extremely satisfied with Jürgen Klopp’s work. He invests a lot, is in constant communication with our coaches and sports directors and is sustainably developing our Red Bull football philosophy. We are convinced that he is the right man for this job. That is where we put all our focus and energy.”
According to “SN”, the desired successor is Oliver Glasner, who will leave Premier League club Crystal Palace when his contract expires in the summer at the latest. The 51-year-old can imagine the role. Glasner was already in office as sports coordinator and co-coach at FC Red Bull Salzburg from 2012 to 2014.
The newspaper writes in detail: Klopp would at least fulfill some of the expectations and is “now the perfect testimonial for the Salzburg beverage company. However, he cannot hide the fact that his commitment has not yet had a positive impact in his actual area of activity.”
According to “Bild”, Red Bull also denies that there could be an immediate separation. However, it was possible from the start that the former Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool head coach Klopp would leave his contract, which is valid until 2029, early if both parties changed their orientation. However, there was once a clear denial from the Austrians when reporting on Klopp’s imminent commitment.
The sporting projects at Red Bull continue to fall short of expectations, the “Salzburger Nachrichten” puts it. There is no common thread and most teams practice different systems. In some cases, even the youth teams follow different philosophies than the professionals. Even when it comes to signing talent, Klopp’s name has not been as popular as hoped. This results in a development that neither Red Bull nor the ex-coach should be satisfied with.
RB Leipzig & Co.: This is how the sporting projects at Red Bull work
With the third most valuable Bundesliga squad – 434.4 million euros – Leipzig only occupies fifth place in the German upper house under coach Ole Werner. However, the Champions League ranks are within reach at two points. At FC Red Bull Salzburg, coach Thomas Letsch was recently relieved of his duties and replaced by Daniel Beichler due to the unsatisfactory development despite first place. Red Bull New York recently missed the playoffs as tenth in the table in the Eastern Conference – the separation of coach Sandro Schwarz and sports director Jochen Schneider was subsequently announced, with the latter wanting to return to Europe for family reasons. There is also a lot of room for improvement at Leeds United (15th in the Premier League), Red Bull Bragantino (narrowly escaped relegation) and Paris FC (15th in Ligue 1). Omiya Ardija missed promotion to the Japanese first league.
At the beginning of October 2024, Klopp was surprisingly confirmed as “Global Head of Soccer”. At the time, Klopp said: “After almost 25 years on the sidelines, I couldn’t be more excited to be involved in a project like this. The role may have changed, but my passion for football and the people who make it what it is has not changed. By joining Red Bull on a global scale, I want to develop, enhance and support the incredible football talent at our disposal. There are many ways we can do this, using the cutting-edge knowledge and experience that Red Bull owns and learn from other sports and industries. Together we can discover what is possible. I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs, but ultimately I am part of an organization that is unique, innovative and forward-looking. As I said, I couldn’t be more excited about it.
Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke recently said in a Transfermarkt interview with a view to the future of his biggest client and confidant: “Maybe at some point he will say again that he has to smell the dressing room again. But at the moment, as I said, he is very, very happy in his role.” Klopp might not turn down the national coaching job again if the opportunity arose. “Jürgen feels very connected to this country. At the moment the question doesn’t even arise. I don’t think he thinks that he has to have done it once. He feels more of an obligation that he couldn’t always say no to the job,” said Kosicke. Real Madrid was also considered a possible option.
