RB Leipzig opted for a swift internal appointment to replace the sacked Marco Rose as manager – and Jurgen Klopp’s influence was obvious, with a Liverpool twist thrown in
Jurgen Klopp has played a hand in landing a job for his former assistant manager at Liverpool, Peter Krawietz. Klopp is now head of global soccer for Red Bull and was therefore involved in the sacking of RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose on Sunday following a 1-0 defeat by Borussia Monchengladbach, which left the team sixth in the Bundesliga.
Rose was quickly replaced by Zsolt Low, who has moved from his role as head of soccer development at Red Bull to become interim manager of Leipzig until the end of the season. Low will be assisted by Krawietz, who was Klopp’s trusted right-hand man at Liverpool and left the club last summer when Arne Slot arrived.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner had been linked with Leipzig, following a purple patch in south London, but the German side opted for a stop-gap appointment to get them through until the end of the season.
Rose, who played under Klopp during his time as Mainz manager, had been in charge of RB Leipzig since September 2022 but lost his job after a run of two wins from 10 games. The club are only two points off Mainz, who occupy the final Champions League place at present, and Low and Krawietz have a clear task in front of them.
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“We’re fully focused on the maximum nine remaining games of the season,” Low said. “We’ve still got the chance to achieve our goals in two competitions. We’ll do everything we can to reach the DFB-Pokal final in Berlin and get the most out of the remaining Bundesliga matches.”
Low has previous with Leipzig, having worked as an assistant coach under Ralph Hasenhuttl and Ralf Rangnick between 2015 to 2018. He has also worked as Thomas Tuchel’s assistant at Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich and will benefit from the experience of Krawietz, who was known as “The Eye” for his talent-spotting ability.
Red Bull managing director of sport Marcel Schafer said: “Zsolt Low has got everything we need to turn things around quickly and give performances a boost: an incredible amount of experience, a lot of success at top European clubs, and the right approach.
“It’s now up to the team to turn the tide together with Zsolt. At the same time, we’re working on finding a permanent head coach for the start of the 2025/26 season.”
Glasner took Palace into the semi-finals of the FA Cup over the weekend thanks to a stunning 3-0 win over Fulham. And the Austrian could still be in the minds of the decision-makers at Red Bull come the summer, given Klopp’s respect for him.
“Oliver is someone whose work I know pretty well as he is a manager who did a really good job in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt before moving to Palace earlier this year,” Klopp wrote in his programme notes for Liverpool’s clash with Palace last April. “Replacing a club legend like Roy Hodgson would not be easy for anyone but Oliver’s record, reputation and ability make him a wise choice.”
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