"We are very pleased that we were able to sign a player who, in terms of quality and experience, exactly matches the profile we were looking for after the departure of Nico Elvedi." Rouven Schröder's line on Ko Itakura summed up Borussia Mönchengladbach's summer better than any big promise about a reset. This is a practical rebuild, with Tim Kleindienst also back in place after last season's knee trouble.

Polanski's job was to stop the slide

Borussia Mönchengladbach finished 12th in 2025/26 with 38 points, a season that needed calming down before anything else. Eugen Polanski took over and guided them through 31 league games, finishing with nine wins and 10 draws. That was enough to steady the club after a bad opening spell and keep them clear of the kind of trouble that had hung around for too long.

The attack was still the glaring issue. Gladbach managed only 42 league goals, their lowest total since 2008/09, and that is where Kleindienst's return becomes the key piece rather than a nice extra. He scored 16 league goals in 2024/25 before missing almost all of last season with a knee injury.

The familiar fixes Gladbach are banking on

Itakura's return is useful because it gives Gladbach a centre-back who fits the profile left by Nico Elvedi. He made his second Gladbach debut from the bench in the 5-0 DFB Cup win at Schott Mainz, playing 33 minutes, which at least gives the club a first look at where he is physically.

Kleindienst is the more obvious swing factor. Gladbach's 42-goal total was too low for a club that wants to trouble the top half again, and a striker who has already shown he can score 16 in a league season changes the conversation quickly. The early signs are modest rather than dramatic, but the logic behind the move is plain enough.

The point of this rebuild is not to look new. It is to make the old parts work better, with Polanski's control, Itakura's return and Kleindienst's fitness all lining up ahead of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →