Dortmund get their man, but could he regret it?

Ahead of their gigantic Champions League clash with Manchester City next week, Borussia Monchengladbach have announced their talismanic coach, Marco Rose, will be departing the club for rivals Borussia Dortmund next season.

Rose is the first real Jurgen Klopp prodigy to make it to the top of the game, having played for the now-Liverpool coach at Mainz before carving a name for himself in youth football, and as part of the Red Bull machine at Lokomotive Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.

Upon his return to the Bundesliga with Gladbach last season, he took his new side into the top four at the first time of asking by playing some delightfully quick football, helping players at their peak reach whole new levels.

That has continued into this season with Gladbach’s unexpected knockout qualification from this season’s group of death confirming the level of the 44-year-old coach, meaning Dortmund, who recently fired Lucien Favre, couldn’t help but enquire.

However, what looks like, on the face of it, a sideways step in the table with Dortmund sixth and Gladbach seventh, may well end up being just that, despite the perceived difference in the size of the clubs.

©Getty / RONNY HARTMANN

And while Rose could well be the inspirational leader Dortmund are looking for to take their club back to the Klopp levels of a decade ago, at least two of those youngsters, Haaland and Sancho, will be looking to depart, should a club in disarray miss out on the top four this season.

Rose knew he would have a big task in his hands when Dortmund’s interest first arrived months ago, but he may have to rebuild the club from the ground up should there be no Champions League football next season.

And when you look at the number of financially safer clubs with coaches unable to show a great level of improvement like Tottenham and Arsenal, Rose may well end up regretting not taking an extra year to prove himself with a Gladbach team he’s so brilliantly crafted.