MÖNCHENGLADBACH: Eintracht Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter will walk away from almost certain Champions League qualification to move to Borussia Mönchengladbach for next season, the clubs said Tuesday.
Hütter will stay until the end of this season before using a clause in his contract with Frankfurt to leave two years before the deal was due to expire, Frankfurt said. He has agreed a new three-year contract with Gladbach.
That means Hütter will play no part in what is likely to be Frankfurt's first campaign in the top tier of European club competition since 1960. Frankfurt is fourth in the Bundesliga with a seven-point cushion to fifth-place Borussia Dortmund and six games left to play. Gladbach is eighth and likely to miss out on European qualification altogether.
The Austrian coach took Frankfurt to the Europa League semifinals in 2019 in his first season in charge and has since built the team into one of the stronger units in the Bundesliga. Forward André Silva has 23 goals this season, second only to Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.
The Gladbach post is only vacant for next season because Marco Rose is leaving to join Dortmund. Since his move was announced in February, Gladbach's form has slumped, with seven losses from 10 games in all competitions.
“He is the best coach for our team and our club for the challenges and goals lying ahead of us from the summer onward,” Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl said of Hütter.