AS Monaco is once again relying on a coach who has made a name for himself in the Bundesliga. After Niko Kovac, Adi Hütter is now the coach of the French first division club. After leaving Borussia Mönchengladbach in May 2022, the Austrian took a full year off from coaching. He now succeeds the sacked Belgian Philippe Clement, who had only finished sixth in Ligue 1 with the Monegasque.
“We are very happy to welcome Adi Hütter to AS Monaco,” said the new sports director Thiago Scuro, who was previously active in Brazil with Red Bull Bragantino. “Adi has proven himself in various leagues but also on the international stage in recent years. That experience, his leadership qualities and profile defined by a lively, forward-thinking style are exactly what we expect as we take a new step forward with the first team.”
Week-long negotiations
The 53-year-old’s mission: to bring the 2017 French champions back onto the big European stage. Hütter received a two-year contract with the Monegasques. For him, Monaco is now the seventh club in his professional career and the fourth station abroad. The new team should “play dynamic, aggressive football,” said the Austrian on Monday at the Unterhachinger Sportpark after a 4-2 defeat in a friendly against FC Bayern. “We still have to refine our automatisms, but I’m looking forward to Ligue 1.”
It is no surprise that Monaco’s choice fell on Hütter – on the contrary. He was specifically selected for his profile. As a former coach of RB Salzburg – he took his first steps as a coach in the youth of the “Bullen” – he fits in perfectly with the change in philosophy that Monaco has been carrying out for several years. Nevertheless, for a long time it looked more like the former Bundesliga coach would join the Premier League.
Hütter negotiated with Crystal Palace for weeks. There was even talk of an early agreement. In the end, however, Hütter distanced himself from the Eagles, mainly because the American owner John Textor could not rule out that he could leave the English top division club again this summer. Other coaches were also initially traded at Monaco: the former Leipzig coach Jesse Marsch and the German Matthias Jaissle were the hottest favorites.
Hütter travels to Clermont-Ferrand with Monaco for the first competitive game in the league. : Image: Reuters
So now it’s up to Hütter to get his team back on track. Because the goal at Monaco is clear: the club should play regularly in the Champions League again in the future. Ligue 1 will be about challenging Paris Saint-Germain in the fight for the championship. A realistic goal, because whether the capital club will be able to dominate the domestic league without Lionel Messi and possibly soon without Kylian Mbappé and Neymar is anything but certain.
“We have to operate with intelligence, a long-term plan and a strategy,” said the Monegasque sporting director Paul Mitchell. “We want to establish ourselves at the top and also hurt PSG. With a modern style of play, we want to narrow the gap year by year. We now have the impression that we have found the right coach for this in Adi Hütter.”
Hütter already knows part of his new squad from his time in the Bundesliga: Kevin Volland, Ismail Jakobs and Breel Embolo, who has just torn his cruciate ligament and will probably not be able to play again until next year. There could also be a reunion with former Gladbach player Denis Zakaria, who is about to move to Monaco. Hütter’s first challenge, he said, will be learning French – even if he learned a few words during his time as a coach at Young Boys Bern in Switzerland.
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The Austrian faces the new challenges with renewed energy. At his official presentation, Hütter explained how valuable the break had been for him beforehand: “I had good but also intensive years in the Bundesliga, first with Frankfurt Eintracht and then in Gladbach. After that I was kind of powerless. I took advantage of the break and now the battery is recharged. This sabbatical was all the more important as it gave me a lot to think about.” You will be able to see what that has led to from August 13th. Then the new season begins in France.
