Martin Demichelis Appointed RB Leipzig Manager – Real Mallorca Receive €2.5m | OneFootball

By Ben McFadyean.

After dismissing Ole Werner on Wednesday, two-time DFB Pokal winners RB Leipzig have now picked Martín Demichelis to succeed the former Werder Bremen manager. Demichelis, who last managed at Real Mallorca, has been appointed on a two-year contract. A release clause fee of €2.5m has reportedly been paid to the Spanish island club, according to Bild.

The appointment was warmly welcomed by the club’s managing director, Marcel Schaefer, who commented: “Martin is a great manager, he brings a high level of competence with a system which combines intense football and a clear line on the type of play he wants to play.”

The former Atletico Madrid manager underlined his motivation for making the switch to the German club: “I want to create a side that plays bold, intense and exciting football.”

The Argentine also emphasised his attraction to working in the Bundesliga: “Testing ourselves against Europe’s best is also an incredible challenge for me”.

Demichelis was part of the incredible Bayern side that won the double four seasons in a row, and reached the Champions League final between 2004 and 2010 under Felix Magath and Ottmar Hitzfeld.

The 51-time Argentina international joined Manchester City under Manuel Pellegrini and helped the Cityzens win the 2014 Premier League title and two League Cup finals between 2013 and 2016.

As a manager, the Cordoba-born UEFA A license-holder started with Bayern Munich’s U19s before being promoted to the U23s. In the Regionalliga Bayern, his side narrowly missed out on promotion.

The 4-time Bundesliga winner with Bayern, who has a 56% win rate in his managerial career to date, led River Plate—his former youth club and 18-time Argentine champions—to the triple in 22/23.

As a player, he was highly regarded for his adaptability (he could play in defence and midfield), his composure, technical ability, determination, and commitment. A career highlight was playing in the 2014 World Cup final.

Jürgen Klopp, as Global Head of Soccer, has a supervisory role across the entire Red Bull multi-club structure and is anticipated to have had a hand in the decision to appoint the Argentinian manager.

Leipzig has the second-highest squad value in the German top tier at €503m, and the lack of European football in 25/26 cost the club an estimated €113m according to Transfermarkt. The estimated losses were €60m in UEFA participation and bonus income, and match day income, stadium concessions, hospitality, and media income are projected by Transfermarkt to be a minimum of €40-€60m.

The income shortfall will also mean pressure on the club to sell players, which could accelerate if performances at the World Cup exceed expectations.

Top targets for transfers are expected to be Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande, who has attracted interest from Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, who are widely rumoured to have offered €86m for the dynamic winger. Real Madrid and PSG have also shown interest, according to Sky.

Centre back Costello Lukeba, one of the mainstays of the impressive defence that conceded only 40 goals in 25/26, has attracted rumoured interest from La Liga champions Barcelona. Former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick has reportedly made replacing the underperforming Andreas Christensen a priority, according to Spanish media.

Another player attracting potential bids is Germany’s David Raum. Valued at an estimated €30m, the highly talented and robust left back would be a valuable asset at a competitive price for any Premier League club.

With Milos Kerkez a top candidate for an exit, former Leipzig manager Marco Rose could be among those involved in a potential bid to bring Raum to the South Coast club, according to the Bournemouth Echo.

Despite the pressure, one attraction for Demichelis in joining the East German club is understandably its impressive academy, as well as access to the wider Red Bull club network, including RB Salzburg and New York Red Bulls. Notable former RB Leipzig academy players include Real Madrid’s Jeff Chabot, Luton Town’s Tom Krauss, and VfB Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic.

Demichelis is also a German speaker, which is a prerequisite for managers in Europe’s second most popular league. Very few managers who did not have a command of the language have been appointed, let alone been successful, with Pep Guardiola and Giovanni Trappatoni in early seasons at Bayern being the exception.

The dismissal of the highly regarded former Werder Bremen manager Ole Werner after just one season has surprised many, despite the eighth-placed finish. The Kiel-born manager took the club from relegation candidates to top-nine finishes in both of his last two seasons. A further season would have given him a realistic opportunity to impose his system on the squad.

The appointment of a manager who led Real Mallorca to La Liga relegation has been criticized in some quarters. Guido Schäfer, RB writer at the Leipziger Volkszeitung, commented: “Demichelis cannot be worse than Werner, but he will not have time to prove himself.”

The 45-year-old will be introduced by the club this week, and training is scheduled to start on 13 July at the Red Bull Arena. The team’s first pre-season friendlies have also been confirmed. RBL will face FC Ingolstadt at home on 25th July (14:00 CEST), before facing SC Verl a week later on 1st August (12:00 CEST at the RB Leipzig Football Academy). Later that day, the Red Bulls will travel to their training camp in Saalfelden, Austria, where they will stay until 7th August.