Jesse Marsch’s next destination is already known, and he will be heading there after taking care of the latest business in his current environment.
Marsch’s RB Salzburg clinched another Austrian Bundesliga title on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over second-place Rapid Vienna, scoring a second straight league cup double for the American manager at the club. .
Marsch will replace Julian Nagelsmann at Red Bull-owned RB Leipzig next season, and although expectations may not be the same (national doubles will not be common for Marsch in the German Bundesliga – indeed, if one occurs, it would be downright historic), you’ll arrive with a cutlery-driven resume.
That was, in many ways, what was expected of him. Salzburg has finished first or second in the Austrian Bundesliga in all seasons dating back to 2005-2006, winning 12 titles in that time, including the last eight. The club has also won eight of the last 10 Austrian Cup titles, including the last three. That’s not to say that success is a given, but there are built-in advantages for Salzburg in the domestic game that made life a little more comfortable for Marsch.
He will not have the same advantages in Leipzig, although the pieces are already lining up for the coach there. The club will lose central defender Dayot Upamecano star to Bayern Munich, while fellow Frenchman and central colleague Ibrahima Konate has been strongly linked to Liverpool. That is one area that will require some attention.
But much of the club’s star core will return. Emil Forsberg signed a contract extension until 2025 on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of Amadou Haidara and goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Marsch will already be familiar with US international Tyler Adams of their time together in New York, and actually trained against Leipzig wingback Angeliño when on loan to NYCFC. The arrival of forward Brian Brobbey from Ajax on a free transfer could potentially serve as the yet-to-be-found solution of who can replace the scoring gap left by Timo Werner’s departure to Chelsea. For what it’s worth, Marsch showed the ability to adapt to the loss of key talent in Salzburg, with Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino departing midway through their first season at the helm.
The presence of other fans of the Salzburg to Leipzig route in Hwang Hee-chan and Dominik Szoboszlai (whose Leipzig debut is still delayed by injury despite a lucrative winter transfer) will also ease the manager’s transition. It remains to be seen if more talent from Salzburg, perhaps American midfielder Brenden Aaronson, at some point? He will join Marsch on the way to Leipzig.
It’s very much Red Bull’s way of getting through the system, moving up the ranks, accepting challenges at every level, and succeeding. Leipzig is top of the Red Bull chain, and Marsch’s predecessors at the Bundesliga level – Ralph Hassenhuttl, Ralf Rangnick and Nagelsmann – have gained notoriety and expanded their platforms for their work with the club.
Marsch will face challenges that no other American-raised coach has faced overseas before, and while success for him is not as likely to take the form of multiple trophies each season, the foundation has been laid for his continued growth in his career. most challenging environment. still.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.