Speaking the right language(s): Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern Munich assistant Dino Toppmöller already making an impression

Julian Nagelsmann has officially started his reign as Bayern Munich manager and a new chapter has begun for the reigning Bundesliga champions. He’s already logged a handful of training sessions in the books at Säbener Straße minus all of Bayern’s Euro 2020 participants, and he’s already made positive impressions.

Per a new report from Bild (via tz), Nagelsmann’s assistant, Dino Toppmöller is also making quite the impression on the players at Säbener Straße. He was one of a handful of assistants that Nagelsmann decided to bring along with him from RB Leipzig. In his managerial career, he’s coached in Germany, Belgium, England, and even Luxembourg for F91 Dudelange. As a result, the 40-year old has become fluent in several different languages, namely German and French. Obviously, with Bayern’s heavy French contingent, this a huge plus for communication as Nagelsmann is not as well-versed in the language.

Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images

Per the report, during his first training session alongside Nagelsmann, he spent a decent chunk of time speaking one on one with both Michaël Cuisance and Tanguy Nianzou. The club is still uncertain whether or not they will be keeping Cuisance this summer, and his attitude has reportedly been a problem in the past. Nianzou struggled a great deal with injuries last season and was unable to get many opportunities under Hansi Flick as a result. For the pair of Frenchmen, this is a crucial preseason in terms of where they stand in Nagelsmann’s pecking order so having Toppmöller there is a huge plus. They can understand exactly what’s expected of them and how they need to specifically improve. In these situations, sometimes bridging the language barrier can make a massive difference.

While it might not matter as much, this can also help with new signing Dayot Upamecano, though he already has the rapport with both Nagelsmann and Toppmöller from his time at Leipzig. Likewise, when the rest of Bayern’s squad arrives to preseason training, Benjamin Pavard, Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso, and Lucas Hernandez could all benefit from Toppmöller’s French fluency as well.