A high-profile appointment under pressure
RB Leipzig have turned to Martín Demichelis after dismissing Ole Werner, giving the former Real Mallorca manager a two-year contract. Bild reports that Leipzig paid Mallorca €2.5 million to trigger his release clause. The move gives the club a coach with major playing experience and a title-winning spell at River Plate, but his appointment comes amid scrutiny over Werner’s departure and Leipzig’s recent results.
Managing director Marcel Schäfer praised Demichelis’s tactical approach, describing him as a manager who combines “intense football” with a clear idea of how his teams should play. Demichelis says he wants to build a side that is “bold, intense and exciting,” and sees testing Leipzig against Europe’s top clubs as a major attraction.
That ambition faces a practical constraint: Leipzig will be without European competition in 2025/26. Transfermarkt estimates that absence will cost the club €113 million. It puts lost UEFA participation and bonus income at €60 million, while projected reductions in matchday, concessions, hospitality and media revenue could add another €40 million to €60 million.
The shortfall may increase pressure to sell players. That pressure could grow if Leipzig’s players impress at the World Cup and attract stronger offers.
Demichelis brings playing pedigree and River Plate success
Demichelis, a former Argentina international, won four Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and reached the Champions League final during his time at the club from 2004 to 2010, playing under Felix Magath and Ottmar Hitzfeld. He later joined Manchester City under Manuel Pellegrini, helping the club win the 2014 Premier League title and reach two League Cup finals between 2013 and 2016. He was also part of Argentina’s squad for the 2014 World Cup final.
His coaching career began with Bayern’s under-19s, followed by a promotion to the club’s under-23 side. That team came close to earning promotion from the Regionalliga Bayern. Demichelis then returned to River Plate, his former youth club, and led the Argentine side to a domestic treble in 2022/23. The source credits him with a 56% win rate across his managerial career.
As a player, he was valued for his versatility across defence and midfield, along with his composure, technique and work rate. He also speaks German, a practical asset in a league where managers who lack the language have rarely been appointed or succeeded.
Leipzig’s academy and the wider Red Bull club network may also have appealed to him. The network includes RB Salzburg and New York Red Bulls. Former Leipzig academy players named in the source include Real Madrid’s Jeff Chabot, Luton Town’s Tom Krauss and VfB Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic.
Jürgen Klopp, in his role as Global Head of Soccer, oversees the Red Bull multi-club structure. The source says he is expected to have had a role in the appointment, though it does not specify what that involvement was.
Potential sales put the squad in focus
Leipzig’s squad is valued at €503 million, the second-highest figure in Germany’s top flight, according to the source. Several players could draw attention in the transfer market. Winger Yan Diomande, who represents Ivory Coast, is reported to be attracting Premier League interest, including from Liverpool. The source cites rumours that Liverpool have offered €86 million, and says Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested, according to Sky.
Centre-back Castello Lukeba is another potential target. He was a regular in a Leipzig defence that conceded 40 goals in 2025/26, and Barcelona have reportedly been monitoring him. Spanish media say former Bayern manager Hansi Flick has made replacing Andreas Christensen a priority.
Germany international David Raum could also attract bids. The source puts his estimated value at €30 million and reports potential interest from Bournemouth, where former Leipzig manager Marco Rose could be involved in a move. The Bournemouth Echo links that possibility to the prospect of Milos Kerkez leaving.
The transfer talk comes against the backdrop of Werner’s abrupt dismissal. Leipzig finished eighth after one season under the former Werder Bremen manager, whose previous two campaigns had lifted the club from relegation contention to consecutive top-nine finishes. His firing surprised observers who felt another season could have given him time to establish his approach.
Some have questioned whether Demichelis is the right successor, given his reported spell at Mallorca ended in relegation from La Liga. Guido Schäfer, an RB Leipzig writer for the Leipziger Volkszeitung, summed up the uncertainty: “Demichelis cannot be worse than Werner, but he will not have time to prove himself.”
Preseason begins in July
Leipzig plan to introduce Demichelis this week, with training scheduled to begin on 13 July at the Red Bull Arena. The club’s first preseason matches are against FC Ingolstadt on 25 July at 14:00 CEST and SC Verl on 1 August at 12:00 CEST, at the RB Leipzig Football Academy.
After the match against Verl, the squad is due to travel to Saalfelden, Austria, for a training camp running through 7 August. Those first weeks will give Demichelis a short runway to shape the team as Leipzig weigh a new coaching direction against the financial and sporting demands of the season ahead.