Ten Hag 'could be new Dortmund coach'

Suraj Radia

• 13 Dec 2023 15:17 CST
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag is a shock candidate to take over as Dortmund manager, according to German football pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft, who revealed the ‘wild rumour’.

Ten Hag has come under increasing pressure at Manchester United, having seen his side suffer a number of humiliating defeats this season, leaving then 7th in the Premier League and crashing out of the Champions League, finishing bottom of their group.

United are expected to stand by Ten Hag for the time being, largely due to the impending deal that would see Sir Jim Ratcliffe invest into the club and take control of footballing operations, with the move set to be finalised in the coming weeks.

However, Fjortoft mentioned the possibility of Ten Hag becoming Dortmund’s new coach in part due to the presence of the club’s adviser Matthias Sammer, who hired Ten Hag as Bayern Munich reserve team coach in 2013.

Fjortoft did not elaborate on the source of the rumour or give any further information aside from saying ‘let us see what happens in the new year’, insinuating that it was nothing more than speculation at this point.

Current Dortmund boss Edin Terzic has been the subject of criticism in recent months after seeing his side collapse in last season’s title race and they currently sit 5th in the Bundesliga.

Managers under pressure look set for short-term reprise

United are not expected to make any major managerial or personnel changes until Ratcliffe’s investment is confirmed, with the billionaire set to purchase 25% of the club for around £1.4 billion.

The delay gives Ten Hag an opportunity to demonstrate his worth to United, with a large number of supporters having turned on the Dutchman after the club’s loss to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford, which left them crashing out of Europe.

Dortmund, meanwhile, are on the verge of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League which could buy Terzic more time despite only winning once in his last six Bundesliga games.

While Ten Hag may become a favourite for the Dortmund job if it became vacant due to the Sammer links, any deal would solely be dependent on the Dutchman’s future at United, which is unlikely to become any clearer in the near future.