Ranos faces another competitor at Gladbach: Sarko joins Mönchengladbach

Borussia Mönchengladbach have officially announced the signing of forward Alejo Sarko. The 20-year-old Argentine has joined the club on loan from Bayer Leverkusen until the end of the season, with no purchase option included.

Sarko was signed by Bayer in early 2025 from Vélez Sarsfield and quickly made a name for himself at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he scored four goals and became one of the key players of the Argentina national team, which reached the final. He has made three official appearances for Bayer’s first team (71 minutes in the Bundesliga) and four matches for the U19 side.

According to Gladbach sporting director Ruwen Schröder, the club was looking for an attacking player with pace and the ability to run in behind:

“Alejo is a talented, physically strong and fast forward with a good eye for goal, a powerful left foot and the desire to take defenders on.”

Sarko has been handed the No. 8 shirt and could make his debut as early as Sunday against Stuttgart.

What does this mean for Grant-Leon Ranos?

Sarko’s arrival is another worrying signal for Grant-Leon Ranos. The 22-year-old Armenia international has featured in three official matches in 2026, but all of them were spent on the bench without a single minute of playing time.

Ranos’ situation deteriorated sharply after the change of head coach.

• Under Gerardo Seoane, Borussia played in a 4-3-3 system, allowing Ranos to operate in any of the three attacking positions.
• He was regularly involved in the rotation, especially during injury spells to Ngoumou, Hack and Honorat. He made eight appearances and scored his first Bundesliga goal.

However, after Eugen Polanski took over, the team switched to a 5-3-2 formation, where:

• There are only two attacking positions available.
• Ranos is losing the competition to Tabaković, Machino, Honorat and even 17-year-old Wael Mohya.
• Alejo Sarko has now been added to that list.

Despite the fact that Ngoumou, Hack and Kleindienst are still injured, even their absence has not helped Ranos return to the rotation.

The German press openly reports that Ranos is very likely to be left out of matchday squads altogether.

Possible winter moves

Sarko’s transfer is also linked to expected departures in attack:

• Tomáš Čvančara is close to a move to Celtic, with the deal almost completed.
• Gladbach are aiming to reduce the number of attacking players before the transfer window closes.

Conclusion

At this stage, everything points to the following:

• Ranos is unlikely to play for Borussia this season.
• The most probable scenarios are a loan/transfer or a complete lack of game time until summer.
• Under Polanski’s current system, the Armenian forward simply does not fit.

For the Armenia national team striker, the coming weeks could prove decisive for his career.