Max Eberl attempted to bring Jürgen Klopp to Borussia Mönchengladbach as head coach in 2015. The current Bayern Munich sporting director, who held the same role at Gladbach back then, revealed this while Klopp begins his tenure as Germany's national team coach.
FAZ Sport reported Eberl's disclosure of this near decade-old episode. Eberl contacted Klopp in the brief period after the coach announced his departure from Borussia Dortmund in April 2015 and before he took over at Liverpool FC in October of that same year. "When he was out at Dortmund and just before Liverpool – in that phase I at least dared to call," Eberl said.
Why did the move not happen?
A deal to bring Klopp to Borussia ultimately did not materialize. Eberl stated that Klopp made a good decision by choosing the path to England. Gladbach's coach at the time, Lucien Favre, had surprisingly resigned on September 20, 2015. The team was competing in the Champions League at that moment. Instead of Jürgen Klopp, André Schubert took over the managerial role at the Foals. Eberl emphasized that his relationship with the new national team coach remains very good. "I am always happy to see him. I like listening to him. He is an expert," the sporting director said.
What is Gladbach's current situation?
While this story is from the past, Borussia Mönchengladbach looks back on a mixed 2025 season. The club finished the Bundesliga in 12th place with 38 points. Their record from 34 games was nine wins, eleven draws, and fourteen defeats. This left them 51 points behind champions Bayern Munich in the standings. The team scored 42 goals and conceded 53, resulting in a negative goal difference of minus eleven. The current personnel situation can be checked on our injuries page, which lists Jens Castrop, Zento Uno, and Yukhym Konoplya as currently unavailable.
What other transfers occurred?
Alongside this historical revelation, a current transfer involving a former Bundesliga goalkeeper was announced on Saturday evening. Eintracht Frankfurt confirmed the move of Michael Zetterer to Leeds United. The 31 year old goalkeeper is joining the Premier League club for a fee of around five million euros. Zetterer had moved from Werder Bremen to Frankfurt for the 2025/26 season, making 28 competitive appearances and keeping seven clean sheets. In total, he has 85 Bundesliga appearances for Bremen and Frankfurt. After the signing of Noah Atubolu, he had become only the third-choice goalkeeper at Eintracht behind Kaua Santos. At Leeds, he will meet coach Daniel Farke, his former teammate Ilia Gruev, and German international Anton Stach. The club finished 14th in the Premier League last season.
Who else moved late in the window?
Shortly before the transfer deadline, second division club SV Darmstadt 98 also secured the services of William Mikelbrencis. The 22 year old French full-back had been without a club since the summer. Previously, he spent four seasons at Hamburger SV, playing 68 games, 26 of which were in the Bundesliga. Sporting director Paul Fernie explained the signing by stating Mikelbrencis had proven his qualities in Hamburg and gained a lot of playing time in the Bundesliga last year. Trained at the youth academy of FC Metz, where he played nine Ligue 1 games at age 18 in 2022, the player also brings experience from 21 caps for various French youth national teams.
Borussia Mönchengladbach's next competitive challenge is on December 5, 2026. They will face sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen in an away Bundesliga fixture. All upcoming fixtures are listed in our schedule. The team will have to navigate this away match without several injured key players, which complicates the task.
