"I want to create a side that plays bold, intense and exciting football." Fine words from Martín Demichelis — but Leipzig are gambling on a coach whose last two jobs ended in relegation from La Liga and a mid-season exit from Liga MX. That context matters.
Leipzig confirmed on Monday that the 45-year-old has signed a contract through June 2028, stepping in for Ole Werner, who was fired last Wednesday alongside his entire coaching staff. Werner had just secured Champions League football with a third-place Bundesliga finish. The decision to sack him was Jürgen Klopp's — now Red Bull's head of soccer — and Oliver Mintzlaff's. Whether it was the right one is already debatable.
A coaching career of high peaks and sharp drops
Demichelis's résumé is genuinely uneven. He started brightly — taking River Plate to an Argentine league and cup double in his debut season in 2022. That earned him the Monterrey job in 2024. Then came Mallorca in February this year, a stint that ended with the club dropping out of La Liga. Not a great calling card for a side with Champions League ambitions.
His playing career is a different story entirely. Fifty-one Argentina caps, a 2014 World Cup final, four Bundesliga titles and four German Cups with Bayern Munich. He knows what winning looks like at this level. Whether he can build it as a coach is the open question Leipzig just staked four years on.
Sporting director Marcel Schäfer called Demichelis a man with "clear footballing philosophy" and "outstanding expertise." Clubs always say that. What Leipzig actually need is someone who can hold together a squad with Champions League expectations while Klopp reconfigures the entire Red Bull network around himself.
What this means for Leipzig's season
Third-place finishes and Champions League group stages don't run themselves. Leipzig have the squad — the disruption is in the dugout. A new coach mid-project, with pre-season already approaching, means time to implement ideas is short. Demichelis will need results fast, because Leipzig's fanbase and their Red Bull backers aren't known for patience.
From a betting perspective, Leipzig's Bundesliga top-four odds deserve a second look right now. Werner delivered that finish. Demichelis has never coached at this level before — not even close. The infrastructure is strong, but coaching transitions in Germany rarely go smoothly in the first half of the season.
"That is exactly the kind of challenge I was looking for," Demichelis said. He'll find out quickly whether Leipzig was looking for him.
