Dino Toppmöller set to take RC Lens job | OneFootball

Dino Toppmöller is set to become RC Lens’s next head coach. The 45-year-old German speaks fluent French and prefers an attacking 3-4-3.

According to L'Équipe, he is the son of Klaus Toppmöller, a former Germany international who led Leverkusen to the 2002 Champions League final, a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid. Dino’s playing career was modest, with 128 Bundesliga 2 matches and 20 goals, and a year at Manchester City in 2000 without a minute.

He became player-manager at Hamm Benfica in Luxembourg at 33, winning promotion. That led to F91 Dudelange, where he claimed titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and reached the Europa League group stage. A short spell at Royal Excelsior Viton ended in December 2019 after disagreements with the hierarchy.

Toppmöller then assisted Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich from 2021 to 2023. In Munich he was a key link for the French contingent, including Dayot Upamecano and Kingsley Coman, and he deputised in autumn 2021 when Nagelsmann had Covid.

Sacked with Nagelsmann in March 2023, he took charge of Eintracht Frankfurt three months later. Frankfurt finished sixth in 2024, then third in 2025 to reach the Champions League, but their run disappointed, with one win, 5-1 against Galatasaray, six defeats and one draw, ending 33rd. He was dismissed on 18 January 2026 after a 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen.

He oversaw only the first six Champions League matches, the last two, 2-3 against Karabagh and 0-2 against Tottenham, were lost under interim Dennis Schmitt before Albert Riera arrived. Sought by AC Milan, Napoli, Crystal Palace and in Saudi Arabia, he chose Lens. A father of two, including Lionel, 15, in Eintracht’s academy, he is seen as stable, humble and family minded.

Source: L'Équipe