(REUTERS) – Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose has left the Bundesliga club by mutual consent, following a season in which they failed to win silverware, Dortmund said in a statement on Friday (May 20).
Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga, eight points behind champions Bayern Munich. They finished third in their Champions League group, behind Ajax Amsterdam and Sporting Lisbon, dropping into the Europa League knockout stages before being eliminated by Scottish club Rangers 6-4 on aggregate in the round of 32.
The club also suffered a shock exit from the German Cup at the hands of second-tier St Pauli in January, while they were beaten by Bayern in the German Super Cup final in August last year.
“This day is not an easy one for all of us, because the mutual respect among us was, is and remains great,” club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said.
“After a season that was unsatisfactory for various reasons, we had to realise that we didn’t get the most out of our opportunities in many areas.”
Rose joined Dortmund from rivals Borussia Monchengladbach in 2021.
“Despite a difficult season... I was convinced of our path,” said Rose, who coached Red Bull Salzburg before his stint in Germany.
“During our conversation, the impression matured in me that 100 per cent conviction of all those responsible was no longer present. In the end, we decided together to end the cooperation.”
Meanwhile, Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has handed out dozens of expensive watches to teammates and club staff in a farewell gift reportedly worth around half a million euros (S$729,500) before joining Manchester City.
Germany's Bild newspaper said on Friday Haaland had given each of his 33 teammates as well as coaching staff a luxury timepiece worth as much as 15,000 euros each. Club staff, including medical and support personnel, also received watches, worth up to 7,000 apiece according to the newspaper.
The prolific 21-year-old forward agreed to join City earlier this month in a multi-year deal that reportedly could exceed 300 million euros, including his salary, agent fees and bonuses.
