RB Leipzig have confirmed the appointment of Jesse Marsch as their new manager, following the departure of Julian Nagelsmann to Bayern Munich.
Nagelsmann revealed earlier this week that he will be leaving Leipzig for Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, with the club sourcing his replacement from their sister club, Red Bull Salzburg.
American coach Marsch will move to take charge of Leipzig, part of the Red Bull stable of clubs along with Salzburg, for the start of the 2021-22 season.
How was the move announced?
Leipzig confirmed the appointment on Thursday morning with a video showing a whiteboard with their "plans" for next season, with the manager's initials written as JN, for Nagelsmann. A hand then appears, changing the initials to JM, for Marsch.
The club then followed this with a statement officially confirming the move, stating Marsch will become Leipzig manager from July 1, on a two-year deal until 2023.
It marks a return to familiar territory for former New York Red Bulls manager Marsch, who spent a season as assistant at Leipzig before taking the No 1 job at Salzburg.
What has been said?
RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said of the 47-year-old manager: "With Jesse Marsch we were able to sign our dream candidate as the new head coach and quickly fill the most important position in the sporting field with a top coach.
"Jesse has done an excellent job in all of his previous positions and has developed step by step. It is naturally a great advantage that he has already worked for RB Leipzig for a year.
"Jesse knows the club, the city of Leipzig and above all our club and game philosophy. In addition to his qualities as a coach, Jesse is characterised above all by his positive and ambitious manner he can inspire people in and around the club extremely and take them with him.
"We look forward to working with Jesse Marsch so that we can continue on our chosen path with him and continue to develop the club. "
The announcement comes after Salzburg confirmed on Wednesday evening that Marsch was in talks with Leipzig about a move.
Who is Jesse Marsch?
The coach, linked with jobs at Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham and Celtic, is closely affiliated with the Red Bull stable, having spent three-and-a-half years in charge in New York and a season as No 2 to Ralf Rangnick at Leipzig before his two seasons in charge at Salzburg.
The two-time USMNT international won the Austrian league and cup double in the 2019-20 campaign and is well placed to do the same in 2020-21, leading the Bundesliga by seven points and into the Austrian Cup final against LASK.
He also became the first American to coach in the group stage of the Champions League, with Salzburg competing in the last two seasons.