More and more top performers are leaving
39 goals gone: Departures force Gladbach to rebuild
With his departure from Borussia Mönchengladbach, Jonas Hofmann is not leaving a hole, but a crater: The 30-year-old is the next regular player to leave the Bundesliga club this summer. The upheaval at Borussia is also huge off the pitch.
The storm and the dark clouds fit the picture. The impending departure of Jonas Hofmann created a gloomy mood around Borussia Park on Wednesday; after all, the national player was supposed to become a rock in the surf and also the new captain of Gladbach in the midst of an already major upheaval. But now Hofmann is moving to Leverkusen unexpectedly – the 30-year-old is leaving a big hole behind.
Strictly speaking, it will be a crater: In Marcus Thuram (13 goals), Hofmann (12), Lars Stindl (8) and Ramy Bensebaini (6), Borussia will suddenly lose its four best goalscorers from last season, 39 of the 52 goals the quartet achieved. Number five on the list, the Swiss Nico Elvedi (3), is also already being considered as a possible departure.
Hofmann’s move makes it clear that the five-time champion is facing a real turning point. “The upheaval will be a little bigger,” sports director Roland Virkus recently announced, but in retrospect that almost sounds like an understatement. Finally, coach Gerardo Seoane and Nils Schmadtke as sports director are completely new to the club.
Talents are coming – and a coach from the DFB
After all: While Adi Hütter, for example, was surprised by some personnel decisions after his signature in 2021, Seoane knew what to expect from the start. The “financial possibilities are no longer what they were before,” the Swiss said at his introduction and announced: “The Borussia way includes working with young players. I’m willing to take this path.”
In fact, the purchases made so far suggest a revival of the foal team. The defenders Fabio Chiarodia (18) and Lukas Ullrich (19) as well as striker Grant-Leon Ranos (19) are still teenagers, the left winger Robin Hack is almost old in comparison at 24 years old. Franck Honorat from Stade Brest, already 26, is also set to come in as Hofmann’s replacement.
The commitment of Guido Streichsbier, most recently coach of the German U19 team, who will become Seoane’s assistant coach after nine years as a scout and coach at the DFB also fits in with the new youth style at Borussia. The change is “a real win for the Bundesliga,” said Joti Chatzialexiou, sporting director of the national teams.
And yet something still has to happen in the squad, Borussia’s youngsters could really use one or two leaders. Someone like Granit Xhaka, for example, who left Borussia for Arsenal FC in 2016 and is now about to return to the Bundesliga. But the Swiss probably has other plans – and prefers Bayer Leverkusen. Just like Jonas Hofmann.
