Marsch named as Nagelsmann successor at RB Leipzig

Jesse Marsch will take over as head coach of RB Leipzig when Julian Nagelsmann heads to Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

The switch sees Marsch leave Salzburg, affiliates of Leipzig, to rejoin the club he previously served as an assistant coach.

Leipzig said Marsch had agreed a two-year contract and would assume his new role on July 1.

Marsch has been a head coach before, most notably leading New York Red Bulls from 2015 to 2018, and the American should prove an easy fit with the German Bundesliga side.

Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said: “In Jesse Marsch, we have been able to recruit our main head coach and quickly fill the most important position in the sporting side of the club with a top coach.

“Jesse has been part of the Red Bull football group for over six years now and has done incredible work in all his roles so far, constantly developing step by step.

“It’s of course a great advantage that he already worked for a year at RB Leipzig. Jesse knows the club, the city of Leipzig and, above all, the club and playing philosophy.

“Alongside his qualities as a coach, Jesse is characterised above all by his positively ambitious style, which he uses to motivate and engage the people and around the club.

“We’re looking forward to working with Jesse Marsch and to continuing our successful path with him.”

Oliver #Mintzlaff, RB Leipzig CEO: “In Jesse Marsch, we have been able to recruit our main head coach target and quickly fill the most important position in the sporting side of the club with a top coach.”

 #RBLeipzig pic.twitter.com/ZXchXEvdxb

— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) April 29, 2021

Marsch, 47, will inherit a team who will almost certainly be looking forward to Champions League football in 2021-22, after a Bundesliga campaign in which Leipzig emerged as the only serious rivals to Bayern.

Their title prospects this season are slim, given Bayern lead the way by seven points with three rounds of games remaining, but Leipzig could win the DFB-Pokal before Nagelsmann moves on. They face Werder Bremen in the semi-finals of that competition on Friday.

Nagelsmann was lured away by the appeal of Bayern, who confirmed his appointment on Tuesday, having agreed a hefty compensation deal with Leipzig to secure the 33-year-old’s services.

Marsch led Salzburg to a league and cup double in Austria last season and they are on course to repeat that success this year.

Salzburg sit top of the Austrian Bundesliga and have a cup final against LASK coming up on Saturday.

Marsch has won 59 of 89 matches in charge of Salzburg, and he said of his move: “I’ve cleared up my future as a coach. My full focus now though is 100 per cent on the last three weeks with FC Red Bull Salzburg.

“Our big aims of retaining the cup and league title are all that count for me for now, and I will do everything I possibly can to achieve them.”

FC Liefering coach Matthias Jaissle has been named as Marsch’s successor with Salzburg.

Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund said on the Austrian club’s website: “I have always said that Jesse has communicated very openly and clearly to me.

“In these discussions, it has always been apparent that the chance to return to the German Bundesliga would be really appealing for him. The decision over his move to RB Leipzig came at short notice in the end, but we were prepared for this situation due to the open and fair discussions we held beforehand.”