It had been in the offing for weeks, now the ink is dry: Dino Toppmöller is the new coach of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Only nine days after coach Oliver Glasner’s last competitive game, Eintracht Frankfurt presented the Austrian’s successor. It has long been no secret that the Hessians want to start the new season with Dino Toppmöller. Now the deal with Julian Nagelsmann’s previous assistant coach at Bayern Munich is also official. Toppmöller has signed a contract in Frankfurt until 2026. The Bundesliga club announced this on Monday.
“Fits with our philosophy”
“It was only a matter of time before Dino Toppmöller worked as head coach in the Bundesliga. We are happy to have won him over with his expertise, his profound understanding of football and his high level of interpersonal skills,” said Eintracht sports director Markus Krösche. “The way he lets football be played fits our philosophy.”
Toppmöller himself called the development of Eintracht “impressive” and praised: “The discussions with Markus Krösche and Timmo Hardung were always trusting and constructive. The path we have taken suits me, we have the same idea of football.”
The breakthrough comes in Dudelingen
Toppmöller began his coaching career in the lower German divisions, sometimes acting as an assistant coach and sometimes as a player coach. But it was in Luxembourg that his career really got going. At F91 Dudelange he became head of the football school and head coach of the first team. Toppmöller led Dudelange to the Europa League for the first time in the club’s history, winning three championships and two national cups.
After a brief stint in Belgium, Julian Nagelsmann brought him into his coaching team. First to Leipzig, then to Bayern Munich. There the 42-year-old was on leave together with Nagelsmann in the spring. The German champions still wanted a transfer fee – allegedly 500,000 euros – for Toppmöller.
Memories of the 2003 ascension
The new head coach knows the Hessians from his active days as a professional. In the 2002/2003 season, he laced up his shoes for Eintracht and played a key role in their later promotion to the Bundesliga with a brace at Rot-Weiss Oberhausen on the penultimate day. His father Klaus Toppmöller coached Eintracht in the 1993/94 season.
“As a player, I was able to stand on the pitch in what was then the Waldstadion in the 6-3 win against Reutlingen in 2003 and celebrate promotion. Now, to return as head coach to this club with its great emotionality and its unique fans means both an honor and a challenge for me. I am sure, we will continue to experience great football festivals together in the future,” said the new Eintracht coach.
