Certainly there are well-meaning motives behind Jonas Hofmann’s parting words, but the brief sentences he chose this Wednesday will leave a small wound in the heart of the supporters of Borussia Mönchengladbach. “I am very grateful to Borussia for the past seven years. I had an outstanding time there. Recently, however, I had a stronger feeling of wanting to do something new,” said the 30-year-old national player. Hofmann leaves the traditional club from the Lower Rhine and signs a contract with Bayer Leverkusen that runs until the summer of 2027. The DFB professional only extended his contract in Gladbach until the summer of 2025 in August last year, including an option for another year.
Many Gladbach residents recently wanted to do “something new”. It hurts that after Matthias Ginter a year ago and Yann Sommer in winter, Ramy Bensebaini, Lars Stindl, Marcus Thuram and Hofmann are the four top scorers of the past season. Somehow the best players don’t really seem to believe in Borussia thriving, which is understandable when you look at recent developments.
There is also an opportunity in this upheaval
Since fourth place under Marco Rose and qualifying for the Champions League, the club has been scoring fewer and fewer points every year. Eighth in 2021 was followed by two 10th places, and it takes a lot of imagination to believe in a quick reversal of this trend. So far, the Gladbachers have hardly signed any new players who really make the team better: in addition to Julian Weigl, who was a loan player to the squad last season, the talents Fabio Chiarodia (from Werder Bremen) and Grant-Leon Ranos have been signed (FC Bayern II) and Robin Hack from Arminia Bielefeld, who have been relegated to the second division.
However, there is also an opportunity in the massive squad restructuring. Most recently, the unsuccessful coaches Adi Hütter and Daniel Farke had to contend with a strangely lifeless team that somehow could not be inspired by a real awakening project. That should change now, and the around ten million euros that are said to flow from Leverkusen to Mönchengladbach for Hofmann will be helpful. According to “L’Equipe”, those responsible at Borussia are trying to get the 26-year-old striker Franck Honorat from Stade Brest, who would be a good replacement for Hofmann: versatile, strong in sprinting and dangerous in goals. But this can only be the beginning.
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The Leverkusen team for the coming season, on the other hand, is taking on clearer forms. The Brazilian international Arthur, 20, will replace the right-back, while the Spaniard Alejandro Grimaldo, 27, will defend on the left, who just became Portuguese champion with Benfica Lisbon. “The team is exciting and has an incredible amount of quality,” announced Hofmann, and Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes said of the new Bayer player: “Thanks to his game overview, his excellent technical skills and his experience, he is the type of player we want for our were looking for squads.”
