Body photo: In order to switch from Salzburg, Borussia Monchengladbach s new sports director paid part of the termination fee out of his own pocket

October 21st Borussia Monchengladbach officially announced last week that Reuven Schröder has become the club’s new sporting director. German media “Sports Bild” reported that he paid part of the termination fee to his former club Red Bull Salzburg out of his own pocket.

According to reports, during the critical stage of the previous negotiation process, there was still a considerable gap between Schroeder's old club Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Monchengladbach on the amount of the termination fee. At this time, Schroeder made an unusual proposal.

According to "Sports Bild", he has learned that the difference between the termination amount proposed by Borussia Monchengladbach (less than one million euros) and Salzburg's request will be paid by himself. That’s a small six-figure amount. Although Borussia could eventually bear the entire amount, both parties regard Schroeder's strong identification with Borussia as the best basis for future cooperation.

Monchengladbach CEO Stegmann: "When it comes to financial issues, Schroeder made it clear: 'If we want to reach an agreement, it should not fail because of my personal efforts.' So he showed absolute determination."

Now, a challenging task awaits Monchengladbach's new sports director. In the coming weeks, he must decide whether to actually promote "pending" coach Polanski to head coach as planned, or whether to use a new person. Even under Polanski, Gladbach are still winless and the de facto U23 coach must now use the official matches before the November international break to perform.

In addition, Schroeder must finally bring stagnant stars back to normal levels. The players in Borussia's team have a market value of 154 million euros and should be ranked 12th in the league rankings instead of being at the bottom of the standings.

The team is also in urgent need of reinforcements during the winter offseason, with the focus being on a reliable defender and players with leadership spirit. Another major problem: the contracts of 17 players on the team will expire in 2027 at the latest. This is both pressure and room for athletic directors to perform.

Schroeder has inspired these stars and made it clear: Only those who are willing to work together can have a future in the club. The sporting director said: "Those who do not participate in teamwork can leave."

Borussia is fighting for two stars in particular: for Rocco Reitz (23 years old / contract until 2028), a release clause of approximately 20 million euros in the contract next summer will take effect. The vice-captain is the most identified face in the squad but also knows he can improve his chances of making the national team through a transfer.

Another personnel issue: The club’s contract extension negotiations with left back Lucas Ulrich (21 years old/contract until 2027) have recently stalled. With clubs from England and Italy already expressing interest, Gladbach must fight to keep him.

However, as CEO Stegman emphasized, Schroeder's behavior of paying for his Bundesliga transfer out of his own pocket proved that he "wanted to show off his talents in Monchengladbach."