Fiorentina had actually made the first move a week earlier. That means three of Europe’s top five leagues have already seen a managerial change, while clubs in England and France are, for the time being, sticking with their coaches.
Gladbach end the Polanski experiment
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s start to the season has been especially alarming. After three Bundesliga matches, the team sits bottom of the table without a single point and with a goal difference of 3:12. A 3-0 defeat at RB Leipzig was followed by a 4-3 loss to newly promoted Elversberg, before a 5-0 collapse at SC Freiburg finally proved too much. One day later, Gladbach parted company with Eugen Polanski. Jan-Moritz Lichte has taken temporary charge.
Only at the end of May, however, Gladbach had explicitly decided to continue with Polanski. The former Borussia player had stepped up from the reserve team in September 2025 following Gerardo Seoane’s dismissal, stabilising the side sufficiently to finish 12th before being entrusted with a rebuild. Even then, the club made it clear that changes to both the squad and coaching staff would be necessary.
The disastrous start to the new campaign used up what little credit remained in just three matchdays.
Kühbauer mentioned – but a move looks difficult
The search for a successor is attracting attention in Austria because Dietmar Kühbauer has been mentioned in the media as a possible candidate. The LASK coach was already linked with Gladbach in the spring, while Didi Hamann recently suggested that his personality could suit a struggling traditional club.
A short-term move nevertheless appears unlikely. Kühbauer led LASK to the domestic double last season, qualified for the Champions League this year and only extended his contract until 2029 in August. Gladbach would therefore need not only to convince him, but likely also pay a substantial compensation fee. On top of that, LASK’s Champions League campaign currently looks considerably more attractive than taking over a Bundesliga giant in crisis.
German media have also mentioned several other candidates, including Horst Steffen, Ole Werner, Alexander Blessin and Christian Eichner.
Valencia dismantle the sporting structure
Valencia CF reacted even more radically. After five matches, the six-time Spanish champions sit bottom of La Liga with just one point. Four defeats and a draw, followed most recently by a 5-0 loss to Barcelona and a 1-0 defeat in Sevilla, prompted the club to make a sweeping change.
It was not only head coach Carlos Corberán who was dismissed. Football CEO Ron Gourlay and several members of the sporting department also left their positions. Óscar Sánchez, previously in charge of the reserve side, has taken over on an interim basis. A new sporting structure is expected to be presented shortly.
What makes the decision particularly striking is the speed of the turnaround. Corberán took over in December 2024, initially guided Valencia away from relegation trouble and then led the club to ninth place last season. At the beginning of July, his contract was extended until 2028 – explicitly in the name of continuity and stability. Just over two months later, that plan has already been abandoned.
Fiorentina moved even earlier
The first dismissal in one of Europe’s top five leagues had already come on 6 September. Fiorentina sacked Fabio Grosso after three defeats from the opening three Serie A matches. The 1:9 goal difference made the start particularly grim.
Paolo Vanoli, whose contract in Florence had expired only in the summer, subsequently returned to the bench.
There had still been no managerial dismissal in the Premier League or Ligue 1 by Monday morning. So far, Italy, Germany and Spain are the three major leagues in which clubs have already reacted after only a handful of games.
Olympiakos also lose patience unexpectedly
The nervousness is not confined to Europe’s top five leagues. Olympiakos parted company with José Luis Mendilibar on 10 September – the coach who had led the Greek club to the Conference League title in 2024 and secured a historic place in its history.
The decisive factor was the poor start to the season, including elimination by NEC Nijmegen in Champions League qualifying. Remarkably, Mendilibar was dismissed after just seven competitive matches.
His successor was quickly confirmed: Imanol Alguacil, who spent more than six and a half years in charge of Real Sociedad and won the Copa del Rey in 2021, took over immediately.
