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Rouven Schröder’s reported on appointment as new Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director has been officially confirmed. The 49-year-old returns to the Bundesliga after 10 months spent working as the managing director of RB Salzburg. Schröder was sent to Salzburg by RB Leipzig four months after former VfL Wolfsburg administrator Marcel Schäfer was appointed Leipzig’s chief sporting executive.
Schröder himself worked as the chief sporting executive at Greuther Fürth, Werder Bremen, Mainz, and Schalke 04 prior to moving to Leipzig. The native Westphalian was never intended to run the Leipzig front office, but eventually had to take over following current Bayern Munich board-member-for-sport Max Eberl’s surprise termination at the German Red Bulls.
Gladbach prioritized the search for a sporting director over a new head coach as the club’s managerial structure requires someone to serve in the position before any head coaching decisions can be made. Eugen Polanski is currently serving as the BMG head coach after previous sporting director Roland Virkus terminated head coach Gerardo Seoane on September 15th.
Virkus himself then resigned on September 30th after more than 30 years spent representing his hometown club. Borussia did not disclose the length of Schröder’s contract. The new appointment will cost Gladbach some money as Schröder was under contract with Salzburg until the end of the 2028 calendar year.
“In addition to his experience, Rouven Schröder has the necessary skills and connections required for this demanding task,” Borussia’s managing director and CEO Dr. Stefan Stegemann is quoted as saying in the club’s announcement. “We are convinced that, together with the administrative team, he will succeed in mastering the immediate challenges and successfully shaping the club’s sporting future.”
