Alassane Plea (l.) and Manu Koné (r.), seen here on November 25, 2023, are two of a total of five French players in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s current squad.
Copyright: IMAGO/Jan Huebner
Does the upheaval at Borussia Mönchengladbach now also have consequences in terms of the composition of nationalities?
In recent years, Borussia Mönchengladbach has been only too happy to rely on players from neighboring countries Switzerland and France, building veritable team blocks in the team formation. But now there could be a change of course in the summer.
Gladbach: After the Swiss and French, will the bosses rely on Austrians in the future?
Swiss players have given Borussia Mönchengladbach fans a lot to be happy about in the recent past. Whether Granit Xhaka (31), Yann Sommer (35), Denis Zakaria (27) or Breel Embolo (27): they all left big footprints at Borussia and celebrated the greatest successes, such as reaching the Champions League several times, in the club’s recent history.
Meanwhile, all of those mentioned are no longer active in the Lower Rhine region, but are under contract with top international clubs. Sommer with Inter Milan and Xhaka with Bayer Leverkusen celebrated winning the double of championship and cup last season. Zakaria and Embolo will play in the Champions League with AS Monaco.
While the Swiss faction, of which only Nico Elvedi (27) remains, has decreased in recent years, another has grown all the more – the French. In the current squad alone, there are five players of French origin: Mamadou Doucouré (26), Manu Koné (23), Franck Honorat (27), Nathan Ngoumou (24) and Alassane Plea (31). This makes them the second largest nationality in the Gladbach squad after the Germans.
But that too could be a thing of the past after the upcoming summer transfer window. While the departure of Doucouré, whose contract expires at the end of June, is already certain, Koné and Plea in particular have been linked with a move in recent weeks and months.
If the two professionals leave the Fohlen, the number of French players would be reduced to two. Will there then be a change of course in the Lower Rhine region, with another nation taking center stage? This is at least the impression that could arise when looking at neighboring Austria.
Two Austrians, Stefan Lainer (32) and Max Wöber (26), are currently under contract with the Foals. While the former’s contract is to be extended until 2026, options are being explored for loan player Wöber to keep him in Gladbach for longer.
In addition, the transfer of an Austrian has already been confirmed: At the beginning of June, the Foals presented Kevin Stöger (30) as their second new signing for the coming season. If they manage to keep Lainer and Wöber as well, Gladbach would then have three professionals from the German-speaking neighboring country.
David Affengruber (23) could be the fourth player to join the team. The Sturm Graz central defender has been linked with Borussia for weeks and would be available on a free transfer. And who knows which players the Gladbach officials may not have on their radar?
2024-06-10 07:02:00
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