This is Danny Röhl | OneFootball

Introducing our new coach

He came just in time for the first training session of pre-season: Danny Röhl. Our new head coach, Danny Röhl, got started yesterday brimming with enthusiasm. Who exactly is the 37-year-old coach from eastern Germany, and what do his former student job and Joshua Kimmich have to do with each other? We can lift the lid for you!

From Zwickau to Leipzig and the world

Despite his young age – or perhaps because of it – Danny's CV is already extremely impressive. This is largely due to the fact that the Zwickau native had to end his playing career in his early twenties due to injury. He then pursued a degree in sports science with the ambitious goal of becoming a youth academy coach.

Then came first and arguably most important step in his coaching career: in 2009, he worked as a student analyst for RB Leipzig, then still in the fifth-tier Oberliga. He worked his way up step by step, serving as a video analyst under Ralf Rangnick and eventually becoming assistant coach to Ralph Hasenhüttl. It was during this time that he met Joshua Kimmich, whose path he would cross again shortly thereafter. He followed Hasenhüttl to his first coaching position in England, at Southampton.

He would then return to Germany - first under Niko Kovac and later under Hansi Flick, Danny became assistant coach at Bayern Munich, and things couldn't have gone better. The Munich side experienced their most successful season ever in 2020/21, winning every possible trophy within a single year, completing the 'sextuple.' He then spent two more years as Flick's assistant with the German national team before it was time for his first head coaching position – and this proved to be a huge task.

Danny took over at Sheffield Wednesday, a club that had just three points after eleven matches and was languishing at the bottom of the English Championship. They managed to avoid relegation at the end of the season, which was a huge success for The Owls. Then, two years later, in October 2025, came the move to Rangers in Scotland, a challenge no less demanding.

The Glasgow team had only won one home game at that point and were already 13 points behind the league leaders, so the atmosphere at the ambitious club was understandably tense. They were no longer in contention for the title, but at least they finished third, securing a place among the league's top teams. Now came the next step – to our Red Bulls! “I stand for bold decisions and bold football, which is why FC Red Bull Salzburg is exactly the right fit for me and my team,” he announced at his introductory press conference with us. 

Attacking football, intense pressing, quick transitions, and actively creating scoring opportunities are his top priorities. Our new head coach – whose family home base, including his children, has been in Leipzig for years – brings precisely the attributes we are hoping for. Last season, as manager of Rangers, he said: “That’s what brings people to the stadium.” Now it’s time to get down to business together during pre-season training!

introductory press conference from Danny Röhl