Borussia Mönchengladbach - injuries & suspensions October 2026

Borussia Mönchengladbach: 2026/27 season preview

Borussia Mönchengladbach finished last season in 12th place with 38 points. Eugen Polanski, who took charge of the team in September 2025 and managed to guide it out of the relegation zone, was given the chance to continue his work over the summer. The start of the new campaign quickly changed the situation, however. After three defeats, Polanski was sacked and replaced by Alexander Blessin, who signed a contract until June 2028.

The club had already made sweeping changes to its squad. Among those to leave Gladbach were Nico Elvedi, Rocco Reitz, Marvin Friedrich, Giovanni Reyna, Jonas Omlin and Haris Tabaković. More than a dozen new players were brought in to increase competition in almost every area of the pitch.

Ko Itakura returns

The most notable signing of the summer is the return of Ko Itakura. The Japanese defender spent three seasons at Gladbach before joining Ajax Amsterdam in the summer of 2025. After just one season, however, he is back in the Bundesliga and is once again expected to play a key role at the heart of the defence. His return is particularly important following the departure of Nico Elvedi, who joined Leeds United after 11 years at the club.

Yukhym Konoplya from Shakhtar Donetsk, David Herold from Karlsruher SC, Daiki Hashioka from Slavia Prague and young Jan Leszczyński from Legia Warszawa have also strengthened the defence. Konoplya signed a contract until 2029 and brings international experience to the team. The Ukrainian has made 27 appearances for his national team and won three Ukrainian league titles with Shakhtar.

In goal, the club has opted for Moritz Nicolas. The 28-year-old German was expected to be the first-choice goalkeeper even before the season began, while Daniel Batz’s move from Mainz was primarily intended to increase competition for the position.

Midfield changes

Gladbach lost Rocco Reitz, who joined RB Leipzig. Yannik Engelhardt also left the club after his loan spell ended. Enzo Leopold arrived from Hannover, as did Zento Uno from Shimizu S-Pulse. Hugo Bolin, who had previously been on loan from Malmö, also joined the squad permanently.

Among those staying are Florian Neuhaus, Kevin Stöger, Philipp Sander, Jens Castrop and Robin Hack. Gladbach therefore have a blend of experience and younger players who are expected to gradually take on more prominent roles in the team. Bolin’s situation is particularly intriguing: after an earlier period of adaptation, he is expected to be one of the players who can take another step forward this season.

Kleindienst returns to attack

Gladbach’s biggest problem last season was their lack of goals. Borussia scored just 42 in the Bundesliga, their lowest tally since returning to the top flight in 2008. Tim Kleindienst, previously the team’s most important striker and a scorer of 16 league goals in the 2024/2025 season, missed a large part of the campaign.

Now back to full fitness, the captain is expected to once again play a central role in attack. The club have also signed Isac Lidberg from Darmstadt, who scored 17 goals in the 2. Bundesliga last season. Franck Honorat, Shūto Machino and Nicolas Kühn are also available to the coach. Kühn joined on loan from Como just before the transfer window closed. He can play in several attacking positions and is expected to give the team more options going forward.

A new squad, new challenges

Borussia began the season with a markedly changed squad. The return of Itakura, the signings of Konoplya, Lidberg, Leopold and Kühn, and the increased involvement of young players all reflect the scale of the overhaul. At the same time, the departures of Elvedi and Reitz mean the loss of two players who had been important parts of the team in recent seasons.

Blessin now faces the task of quickly getting the team organised after a poor start to the campaign. The new coach must find the right setup for the rebuilt squad and, above all, improve the results that led to the change in the dugout.