Hütter: “We want to play attractive and exciting football”

Adi Hütter was officially introduced as the new head coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach at a press conference on Friday afternoon. We’ve rounded up the most important quotes from the new boss as well as sporting director Max Eberl.

Adi Hütter on…

… his first impressions of Borussia: I’m pleased to finally be here after my holiday. I’ve been here for two days and I’m living at the hotel at BORUSSIA-PARK and my first impressions are really good. I’ve had a lot of discussions in a small space of time and been able to meet some of the staff. I’m pleased to be able to work at this great, traditional club.

… his new role: After three years at Frankfurt, I was looking for a new sporting challenge. I’ve followed Borussia over the recent years. The club has developed impressively, and the squad is really interesting. Therefore, I’m pleased that the move has come about and that I can work here. Tomorrow, we’ll finally be back on the training pitch; I’m really looking forward to it and hope that there’ll be a lot of fans there.

… choosing Borussia: Max Eberl, who is one of the best sporting directors in the Bundesliga as both a person and a professional, convinced me to come to Borussia when we met for the first time in Salzburg at the end of March. The sporting ambitions, but also the club's family environment was a deciding factor. I'm someone who follows their gut feeling and I made my decision quite quickly after that conversation.

… his goals at Borussia: I’m taking over a team that play really good football. My goal is to play attractive and exciting football, but of course the results have to match. I’m aware that the ambitions here in Mönchengladbach are high, but it’s also my aim to be fighting for the international places again, so it’s a good fit.

… the current squad: Borussia have a good team here. The club is well prepared should a player leave. Then, it's a matter of finding an adequate replacement, but Max Eberl is a good sporting director, so I'm not worried about that at all. To start pre-season, we’ve got a lot of young players involved, who I want to look at more closely. Another goal of ours is of course to bring through talents.

… Borussia’s recent history: Marco Rose has been playing a style of football in the past two years that I like too. However Borussia conceded too many goals last season, so we need to improve our defence this season. On the other hand, I would like us to be fast and attractive when going forward.

… discussions with his predecessor Marco Rose: I’ve spoken to Marco on the phone once or twice. We know and appreciate each other. He felt really comfortable at Borussia and only had positive things to tell me about the club, and after my first two days here, I can really understand why.

… his coaching team: We’re taking the necessary time when it comes to handing out the responsibilities. I’ve been working alongside Christian Peintinger and Armin Reutershahn for many years now, and I’m very happy to work with Frank Geideck, who also brings a lot of experience. I’m not the typo of coach who just watches from the side; I’m very active on the training ground. However, there is enough to do: set pieces, analysis, scouting opponents and much more. We will find the appropriate role for each individual.

…  Borussia’s history: I know quite a bit about the history of the club, especially the golden 70s when the club won many titles. Many well-known coaching names like Hennes Weisweiler, Udo Lattek, Lucien Favre or Hans Meyer have worked here and just as many great players, like Günter Netzer, Rainer Bonhof, Berti Vogts, Jupp Heynckes, Lothar Matthäus, Uwe Kamps and Stefan Effenberg have been here too. Therefore, I'm following some great footsteps. In the near future, I will definitely visit the FohlenWelt to immerse myself even deeper into the club's history.

… the ongoing European Championship: I'm really pleased with how Switzerland are currently doing at the European Championship. I was really impressed with the game against France and I would also be really happy if they got through against Spain today as well, even though that would mean that our four Swiss players would be joining us later.

Max Eberl on…

… signing Adi Hütter: We’re very proud that we’ve found the replacement we were looking for. From our perspective, Adi Hütter is the best fit for our club, both as a person and coach. His work at different clubs over the past years has been successful and sustainable. I had the opportunity to get to know him through many conversations and he is a great fit for Borussia.

… his first impression of the new coach: I was very happy when we got everything was signed and sealed and now I'm really happy that things are getting underway. Adi has been here for two days now and brings an unbelievable amount of positive energy with him, is very motivated and is really up for it. He has successfully managed different clubs and under different conditions. He has an idea of football that is very similar to our squad and our previous coaches.

… current squad planning: At the moment, it's a very complicated situation, so we have different scenarios in mind. The transfer market has not really got going yet because the European Championship is still taking place. Many clubs, especially those who can invest, will wait to see what happens at the EUROs and will make their transfers after that. Then a domino effect will take place, from which other clubs will also benefit, because transfer sums will flow and you start being active. We have two or three things to work on.

… possible departures: We have players whose contracts expire in 2022, for whom we don't currently see an extension. We don't want to let these contracts expire, so there are some intense discussions. I'm actually used to being finished with squad planning in the summer, but the circumstances are completely different. That's why patience is needed. It will take a bit of time, but we will have a squad again with which we can achieve our sporting goals.

… the return of fans: As of today, we are planning to have 18,000 spectators at the opening game of the season against FC Bayern Munich. But we have to wait for the DFL general meeting on 14th July. It is not possible to clearly define what will actually happen. There are still a lot of questions to be answered. The top priority is the health of the people and having a process in place that works. We are looking forward to spectators being in the stadium again and to the moment when the stadiums are completely full again - but with all the safety that is also necessary.