The Bundesliga’s Hottest Property

By: Abby | June 4th, 2009

It isn’t Edin Dzeko. Or Franck Ribery. It isn’t a player at all, actually.

No, the most coveted man in the Bundesliga is the son of a farmer from Saint-Barthélemy, Switzerland, our very own Fußball-Lehrer Lucien Favre. After Hertha’s participation in this season’s title race and the eventual 4th-placed finish that he brought us, Lulu is suddenly the name on every tabloid writer’s keyboard.

The current managerial situation in the Bundesliga is somewhat nuts, with something like half the clubs seeming to need a new manager. The biggest names among the managerless (or soon to be managerless) are Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen, but FC Köln is also in the market for a new one after Christoph Daum was lured back to Turkey and Fenerbahce.

Hertha’s success, combined with Hertha’s low league profile and lack of funds, means that Lucien Favre is, right now, incredibly attractive to a lot of clubs. He got quite a lot out of quite a little. And he has a history of success, as well. It seems that every club he left still thinks very highly of him, and his career in Switzerland is littered with big events- titles, cups, UEFA Cup quarterfinals, promotions, etc. It’s not just one great season in Berlin, it’s a fine career. And now he has what the general managers of those bigger clubs always say they’re looking for. Knowledge of the Bundesliga and ability to speak German. It’s easy to see why he’s so wanted even to those who aren’t as biased as myself.

And there seems to be a limited pool of managers, if the lists in the newspapers are anything to go by. Michael Skibbe seemed to be up for all of them for some reason, but he’s now been appointed new manager of Eintracht Frankfurt. Mirko Slomka, formerly of Schalke, is another one seemingly up for any of those open positions. Bild seems to think that Bruno Labbadia, who is technically currently manager of Leverkusen, is signed on as the new manager of Hamburg. Thomas Doll, who left Dortmund after they finished 13th, is another name that crops up. Bernd Schuster, who is German and did a decent job with Getafe before getting sacked by Real Madrid, occasionally pops his head around there too. It’s not the most inspiring group, so it’s no wonder that Lulu is coveted. As the Berliner Morgenpost points out, Favre’s the only one who hasn’t failed at his last club.

And the situation at Hertha is promising for a club president who hopes to lure him. Hertha have very little in the way of a transfer budget. It’s not a traditional big club of the Bundesliga. It doesn’t have the fanbase or history or memory of much success. A team with any of those things- money, history, fanbase- could perhaps think that prizing Lulu from Hertha is possible in a way that perhaps getting a successful manager from another club isn’t.

Another wrinkle is the brewing showdown between Favre and Dieter Hoeness. The manager, brother of Bayern’s Uli, has been in charge of Hertha since 1997, but his relationship with Lulu (among others) seems to be pretty strained. The Berliner Morgenpost suggests that Lulu gets along much better with former Hertha star Michael Preetz, who’s been being groomed to take over Hoeness’ position when he retires, which was supposed to be in 2010. There’s apparently a meeting going on today (?) where the future of the club is being discussed. Lulu’s position right now is extremely strong due to Hertha’s good season, his popularity among everyone, and the glances being cast towards him by some big names.

The result of all this complication? We may be losing a manager, but to keep a coach.