GNK Dinamo Zagreb, the most trophy-winning Croatian football club, is going through significant changes in its management structure, sports strategy and financial operations. This period is marked by sporting failures, financial challenges and plans for infrastructure projects.

Sports director and candidates

Dinamo is looking for a new sports director after the departure of Marko Marić. The main candidates are Filippo Giraldi, the former sporting director of Nottingham Forest, known for his experience at European clubs, and domestic candidates include Ivan Mance and Goran Boromisa.

Before them, the biggest candidate for the position of sporting director was Eduardo Macia, a Spaniard with rich experience in clubs such as Liverpool, Valencia and Fiorentina. The reasons for his retirement are not fully known, but his recent career has been marred by controversy, including legal disputes with former clubs Bordeaux and Spezia.

Mauro Leo is one of the candidates, but it seems to give first reserve to Giraldi. Italian, who has experience working in clubs like Roma, Juventus and Inter. Leo is considered an alternative if negotiations with Giraldi fail.

Nicolas Burdisso, former Boca Juniors and Fiorentina sporting director, was also mentioned as a potential candidate earlier in the process. However, he appears to be off the shortlist for now.

It would be best if Dinamo did not have a sports director. The way they have been working lately, it would be better if the coach took over all the functions because he should know what he needs and what he doesn’t need. The most important thing here is expertise and knowledge, and not for someone to learn in a club that regularly plays in European competitions at the highest level.

The coach is a key figure in arranging all positions

After Fabio Cannavaro’s dismissal due to poor results, the team is temporarily led by Sandro Perković. And the candidates for the new coach include Vedran Ćorluka, Albert Riera and Željko Sopić. The club is looking for a person who can stabilize the team and achieve better results in the HNL and in Europe.

After the dismissal of Cannavaro, Dinamo decided to look for a permanent solution for the position of first team coach. Ćorluka was invited for an interview, but not for the position of head coach, but to be part of the coaching staff. Ćorluka himself said that he would like to come to Dinamo. Ćorluka wants to start an independent coaching career after being part of the coaching staff in the Croatian national team for years. However, he has not led any team as a head coach so far, which raises some doubts among fans and experts. And if the club does not see Ćorluka as the head coach, but as part of the staff, he decided to stay in the national team and thus develop as a coach.

Alberto Riera is one of the candidates. A Spaniard on the bench of NK Celje from Slovenia. By the way, his manager Andy Bara denied that Riera is a candidate to take over the coaching job at Dinamo. Let’s mention that Riera is the godfather of Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, he was also an assistant to the legendary Fatih Terim in Galatasaray, and at one time he was also a candidate for the coach of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Istria’s coach Gonzalo Garcia was also mentioned as a candidate to lead Dinamo. He is doing a great job in Pula, against Rijeka in the Cup and Dinamo in the championship, he demonstrated extremely vertical football, full of transition, and we know that his greatest quality is game creation. After he left Istria, he tried his hand at Arouca in Portugal, but he lasted only ten games there. He won three and lost six and – left. He hoped for a long-term vision, and there an immediate result was sought.

What is going to happen? We will await the official announcement from the club.

Other positions in the club…

Recently, there have been changes in the leadership of the club. Zvonimir Malenica assumed the position of president of the board, while the Supervisory Board consists of new names such as Branko Lesjak and Saša Pavličić-Bekić.

Dinamo plans to soon announce the decision on the new sports director. The main task of the new person will be the appointment of a coach after the dismissal of Fabio Cannavaro and the reorganization of the scouting service and the academy. The club wants to stabilize the sports sector in the long term in order to restore competitiveness on the domestic and European scene.

The legendary captain of Croatia, Zvonimir Boban, was also mentioned. Boban sees himself as the president of Dinamo, but I stated that he would not like to become the president of the club if he does not have the approval and blessing of Velimir Zajec, whom he supported in the club elections.

Manenica, as president of Dinamo’s Management Board, will address the public on Friday in the afternoon. We will then have more specific information related to the functions in the club.

What could possibly happen?

Dinamo is planning a reorganization on several levels. When we talk about sports strategy, the focus is on the development of young players from our own academy, which is the sixth best in the world in terms of producing talent for European leagues.

Financial stabilization is also needed, and the goal is to increase commercial income and reduce dependence on player transfers and UEFA awards. The construction of the new Maksimir stadium with a capacity of 35,000 seats is planned, with a temporary move to the renovated Kranjčevićeva stadium until 2026. As for the stadium, we think that this is too small a capacity for a club like Dinamo and a city like Zagreb.

Influence on the reputation of the club

The current third place in the HNL (behind Hajduk and Rijeka) seriously threatens the placement in European competitions next season. Defeats against weaker opponents (eg Istra 1961) further damaged the club’s reputation.

Dinamo planned a budget of 67 million euros in 2025, but the absence of the Champions League could mean a loss of 24 million euros in revenue. The club has already gone through periods of large losses (e.g. HRK 112 million in 2017), which indicates the need for better financial management.

Frequent changes of coaches and leadership cause dissatisfaction among fans. The plans for the new stadium could improve the perception of the club if they are successfully implemented.

Financial results

Dinamo is traditionally financially stable thanks to income from player transfers and UEFA competitions. However, dependence on transfers is becoming problematic as revenues from player sales have fallen compared to previous years. The club invests significant resources in infrastructure (new stadium) and the development of digital technologies to increase income outside the football field.

At the end…

GNK Dinamo Zagreb faces key challenges that require strategic decisions. The successful appointment of a sports director and coach is key to returning to the top of the HNL, financial stability depends on placement in European competitions and income diversification, and long-term projects such as a new stadium can improve the club’s image, but they require careful planning and implementation, they should be the main and key strategic determinants for the club’s further operations.

Dinamo must balance between the immediate needs for results and the long-term vision in order to maintain the status of the leading club in the region. Short-term visions will not bring anything, neither in the business nor in the sports segment of the club.