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Marco Rose Jurgen KloppGetty Images/Goal
Soham Mukherjee

Red Bull Group chief Jurgen Klopp opens up on having to fire Marco Rose from Leipzig post

Red Bull's head of global soccer Jurgen Klopp has opened up on having to fire Marco Rose from his position as Leipzig head coach. Rose, once hailed as the man to cement Leipzig among Europe’s elite, was dumped midway through a miserable third season at the Red Bull Arena back in March. It was a campaign that spiralled into chaos, with Leipzig crashing out of the Champions League in the first phase, managing just one win in eight matches, before a gut-punch defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach left them languishing in seventh place in the Bundesliga.

  • Zsolt Low’s short-lived fix

    Rose won 72 of his 125 matches in charge of Leipzig, delivered two trophies in the form of the DFB-Pokal and German Supercup, and guided the club to Champions League qualification twice. However, he was dismissed after a run of just three wins from his final 11 games in all competitions. Following the exit of Rose, in a desperate bid to stop the rot, Leipzig turned to Chelsea’s trusted assistant Zsolt Low, giving him the reins until the end of the 2024-25 season. But the gamble backfired spectacularly. The Hungarian coach couldn’t change the club’s fortunes as defeats piled up and morale sank. By the end of the campaign, Leipzig had not only missed out on Champions League football but were also left empty-handed in their chase for any European spot in 2025–26.

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  • Marco Rose 2025getty

    Klopp lifts the lid on Rose's exit

    Klopp has now admitted that wielding the axe on Rose was a bitter pill to swallow. In an interview with The Athletic, he said: "It’s not great. It will never be my hobby. But it’s things you have to do. What I want is to hire coaches for the right reasons. And if you finish working together, then it is also for the right reasons and not for the media asking for it."

    The ex-Liverpool boss spoke of his desire to create stability but admitted modern football doesn’t allow it.

    "I want to instil this (stability); more trust, going through the hard times," he added. "If you are convinced, then you are convinced. The world is like that: ‘Oh my God, you are great!’ Then it is, ‘Oh no! You’re s***.’  There’s no grey area anymore. And very often life is grey."

  • Werner the chosen one

    Leipzig wasted little time finding their new man. In came Ole Werner on June 24, with the 37-year-old seen as a rising star of German coaching, as he signed a deal through 2027. Werner, who opted to leave Werder Bremen early despite having a contract until 2026, has built a reputation as a no-nonsense manager with a sharp tactical brain. He took Bremen back into the Bundesliga at the first attempt in 2021 and steadied the ship with finishes of 13th, ninth, and eighth. More tellingly, his side closed out the 2024–25 season on an eight-match unbeaten run, including a gritty 0-0 draw against Leipzig themselves.

  • RB-Coach Ole Werner (© AFP/SID/RONNY HARTMANN)

    A lightning start at Leipzig

    If anyone doubted whether Werner was ready for the leap, he’s answered in style. Leipzig have roared into the new campaign under their fresh-faced coach, chalking up four wins from their first five Bundesliga fixtures. Werner’s first big test, however, looms large. This weekend, he leads Leipzig into a showdown with Borussia Dortmund, a clash that will truly measure whether his early success is built on solid ground or fleeting momentum.