Coach Edin Terzić departs Borussia Dortmund promptly.
The German football club, Borussia Dortmund, has unexpectedly found themselves in need of a new coach. Edin Terzic has requested the termination of his contract, which has been granted by the club. This leaves the club without a head coach on the sidelines.
Edin Terzic is no longer the coach of Borussia Dortmund. His contract was terminated on the club's announcement, after a meeting between Hans-Joachim Watzke, Sebastian Kehl, and Lars Ricken at the training ground in Brackel. Terzic had previously achieved great success in the previous season in the Champions League, but their performance in the Bundesliga was a major disappointment, finishing in fifth place.
The new coach has not been announced, but media reports suggest that co-trainer Nuri Sahin will be taking over. Terzic thanked the fans in a personal message on the Borussia Dortmund's website, saying that he "felt that the upcoming restart should be accompanied by a new man on the sidelines." He also wished the club the best and said, "not goodbye, but see you later. Heja BVB!"
Terzic had been the interim coach since the departure of Lucien Favre three years ago. He had led the club to victory in the DFB Cup and the following year, was promoted to technical director. Then, a year later, he returned to his position as head coach. Terzic was often criticized for the team's poor performance in several games, as well as struggling against relegation candidates. However, he was initially supported by club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke, who had transferred some of his duties to Lars Ricken on May 1st.
The club had brought in Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender as co-trainers for the league restart, which was seen as a precaution in case of a sports crisis. Now, Sahin is being considered as Terzic's successor as head coach. He gained his first experience as a coach in the professional league at the Turkish first division club, Antalyaspor.
There was a dispute between Terzic and Mats Hummels, who had been a long-time member of the club. They had a heated argument in the dressing room after the 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in February. Hummels had criticized Terzic's tactics and the lack of a clear game plan, while Terzic had accused Hummels of not being able to meet the team's requirements. The dispute was resolved after the intervention of the club's management.
The team's poor performance in the league, with only five wins in the last 14 games and four losses, led to fans demanding Terzic's dismissal. The club's management initially stood by him, but eventually decided to part ways with him.
The search for a new coach is ongoing, with several candidates being mentioned in the media, including former Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel and current Freiburg coach Christian Streich. No decision has been made yet. The club is under pressure to find a suitable replacement quickly, as the first match after the winter break is against RB Leipzig on January 21st.
Terzic had also been rumored to have conflicts with some of the team members. However, he was surprisingly attacked by defender Mats Hummels before the Champions League final. Hummels admitted to "Sport Bild" that he had criticized Terzic for the team's performance in the first round against VfB Stuttgart in the league and the DFB Cup, claiming they "should not appear - against any opponent in the world."
Hummels, the main defender, couldn't stop himself from cursing as he said, "I thought things couldn't continue like this. I felt that wearing this jersey was tarnishing my honor. I felt so humiliated and inferior in terms of football. The two matches against Stuttgart and the away game in Leverkusen were like barricades on the field." As a team leader, he had made multiple suggestions to help find a solution, and he even kept in touch with the coaching staff. According to him, things would be much better if Terzic hired Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender as two new co-trainers during the winter break.
Rumors have been flying around recently that Hummels, whose contract is set to expire at the end of this month, could make his decision to stay with Dortmund depending on what happens with Terzic. If there's a separation, say, as reported by Sky, then it's possible a contract extension may occur.
