Borussia Mönchengladbach Appoint Alexander Blessin as Head Coach
Borussia Mönchengladbach have appointed Alexander Blessin as their new head coach, with the German manager signing a contract that will keep him at the club until 2028. Blessin takes over at Borussia-Park after the club parted ways with Eugen Polanski earlier this month.
The coaching change comes after a difficult start to the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Polanski was dismissed following Borussia’s 5-0 defeat away to Freiburg on Matchday 3, leaving the club without a point from its opening three league matches. Jan-Moritz Lichte subsequently took temporary charge and led the side in the following game against Mainz.
Lichte’s interim spell ended with another setback as Gladbach suffered a 4-3 home defeat against Mainz on September 19. The result left the club searching for a permanent solution, with sporting director Rouven Schröder having previously confirmed that an agreement with the club’s preferred candidate was close.
Who Is Alexander Blessin?
Blessin, 53, returns to the Bundesliga after spending the previous two seasons in charge of FC St. Pauli. He began his coaching career in the youth setup at RB Leipzig before moving into senior management with Belgian club Oostende.
His career subsequently took him to Genoa in Serie A and Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium. At Union, Blessin helped the club win the Belgian Cup and finish as runners-up in the domestic league.
He then took charge of St. Pauli ahead of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Blessin guided the newly promoted side to Bundesliga survival in his first campaign, although St. Pauli were relegated at the end of the 2025/26 season. He subsequently left the Hamburg club.
A Major Challenge at Gladbach
Blessin inherits a Borussia side that has endured a difficult opening to the new campaign. Gladbach finished 12th in the Bundesliga last season under Polanski, but the team opened the 2026/27 season with four consecutive defeats.
The new coach will now have the international break to work with his squad before his first competitive match. His appointment represents a fresh start for a club looking to stabilize its season and move away from the bottom of the Bundesliga standings.
Blessin is scheduled to be formally presented alongside sporting director Rouven Schröder, with attention now turning to how quickly he can implement his ideas at Borussia Mönchengladbach.