It was an open secret, now it’s official: Eintracht Frankfurt has hired Dino Toppmöller as the new head coach.
The 42-year-old successor to Oliver Glasner will receive a contract until 2026, the Bundesliga club announced. “It was only a matter of time before Dino Toppmöller worked as head coach in the Bundesliga,” said Eintracht sports director Markus Krösche. One is glad to have won him with “his expertise, his profound understanding of football and his high interpersonal skills”.
Toppmöller was the right and only choice for the sports director of Hessen after Eintracht announced the early separation from Glasner at the beginning of May. No other names have been traded since then. Also because Krösche was able to “get a picture of his way of working, which is characterized by a high level of tactical understanding and analytical skills” from the time they spent at RB Leipzig. It was “no surprise” that Julian Nagelsmann took his assistant coach from Leipzig to the Isar after being appointed head coach at Bayern Munich.
“Fits with our philosophy”
Beyond this appreciation from a common past, both agree on how things should continue with Eintracht Frankfurt in terms of sport. “The way he plays football fits our philosophy,” said Krösche. And the new coach agrees: “The path we have taken suits me, we have the same idea of football.”
In addition, Toppmöller has a lot in common with the city and the club. As a professional soccer player, he played in Main from 2002 to 2003 and was part of the team that made it to the Bundesliga in 2003. “Now, returning as head coach to this club with its great emotionality and its unique fans in the heart of Europe means both an honor and a challenge for me,” said Klaus Toppmöller’s son, who had become a coach at Eintracht Frankfurt 30 years previously.
However, his predecessor Glasner left him a sporting legacy that has a special place in the club’s history and can also be a burden for Toppmöller Junior when he makes his debut as Bundesliga head coach. Under the direction of the Austrian, Frankfurt celebrated winning the Europa League in 2022, reached the round of 16 in the Champions League and most recently made it to the final of the DFB Cup.
Stations in Luxembourg and Belgium
Before becoming an assistant coach in Leipzig and Munich, Toppmöller looked after F91 Düdelingen in Luxembourg and Royal Excelsior Virton in Belgium. He led Dudelingen to win the title and qualify for the Europa League. “Dino has learned to achieve great things in Dudelingen with few resources and to take young, developing players to the next level as the main head coach,” said Krösche.
Future Eintracht sporting director Timmo Hardung praised Toppmöller even before the signing, calling him a “world-class coach” – which can also be a burden. Especially since the squad is about to change. In left-back Evan Ndicka and midfielder Daichi Kamada, the departure of two regular Eintracht players has been confirmed. It is unclear whether French top striker Randal Kolo Muani is also leaving. “I’m sure we will continue to experience great football festivals together in the future,” said Toppmöller, who will start work on July 10 at the start of training.
