RB Leipzig in the coaching crisis: Who will be the coach at the opening of the season?

RB Leipzig in the coaching crisis: Who will be the coach at the opening of the season?

RB Leipzig is facing an exciting 2025/2026 season, but so far there has been a standstill in the coaching chair. The club has not yet signed a new coach and finding a suitable coach is proving difficult. According to reports from Kicker Ole Werner, the former coach of Werder Bremen, is still the big favorite. However, the deal is in danger of falling through as Werder Bremen is demanding a transfer fee of six million euros for Werner and his two assistants, while Leipzig is not prepared to pay more than three million. This difference could really turn the coaching search upside down.

Pre-season preparation is getting closer, starting with the first performance tests on July 11th and 12th. Here are the key dates for the coming weeks:

• Erste Trainingseinheit: 14. Juli
• Erstes Testspiel: 19. Juli gegen ZFC Meuselwitz
• Trainingslager in Donaueschingen: 23. bis 30. Juli
• Testspiel gegen RC Lens: 9. August

The season opening on August 2nd will be particularly exciting when Atalanta Bergamo visits Leipzig. Two former RB Leipzig players, Ademola Lookman and Lazar Samardzic, will also be on the pitch. This promises to be an exciting game and fans can already look forward to this exchange of blows.

Future challenges

However, the situation surrounding the new coach casts a shadow over the anticipation. Cesc Fàbregas, who was also on the list of preferred candidates, was not allowed to move to Leipzig, and Jacob Neestrup remains at FC Copenhagen. This means that those responsible urgently need to find alternatives before the first competitive games take place. Another prized name could be Ole Werner, but the financial hurdles appear high and it is unclear how RB Leipzig will progress on the matter.

With the upcoming season, RB Leipzig is under a certain amount of pressure, both on the transfer market and among the coaching team. Founder managing director Lutz Michael Fröhlich will probably have to come up with something to smooth things over. The coming weeks are crucial to set the course for a successful season. Time is of the essence and the anticipation for the first game grows day by day.