Who will Bayern Munich get to interchange Thomas Tuchel?

When Bayern Munich fired Julian Nagelsmann rather less than a yr in the past, it got here as a shock to many who the perennial German champions would hand over so prematurely on the proficient, younger supervisor who had been recruited to launch a brand new period on the Allianz Area. Final week’s announcement, that Nagelsmann’s successor Thomas Tuchel will go away the membership on the finish of the season regardless of having a contract by way of the 2024-25 season, was hardly a shock, although.

The information got here on the heels of Bayern’s three consecutive losses — 3-0 at Bayern Leverkusen, 1-0 at Lazio within the Champions League and 3-2 at VfL Bochum. Trailing Leverkusen by eight factors within the Bundesliga, Bayern are in critical hazard of ending their marketing campaign with out a trophy for the primary time since 2012. Whereas the membership had been reluctant to sack Tuchel halfway by way of the season, talks with the 50-year-old led to the choice that he won’t proceed past the present marketing campaign.

“In a very good, open dialogue, we got here to the choice to finish our working relationship by mutual settlement in the summertime,” CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen mentioned in a press release. “Our objective is to pursue a brand new footballing route with a brand new head coach for the 2024-25 season.”

The announcement provides Bayern loads of time to discover a new head coach, as they need to be sure that their subsequent rent will keep on the membership longer than the 14 months Tuchel may have been in cost for when his spell ends, or the 21 months Nagelsmann spent in Bavaria.

“We’ve got changed three coaches in a not-so-long timeframe,” chairman Herbert Hainer mentioned. “We need to work with a coach for the lengthy haul. Therefore, he’ll take our time fascinated with it and analysing — and hopefully, rent the suitable one.”

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Xabi Alonso is the No. 1 goal, in response to a number of sources. Bayern have saved an in depth eye on the 42-year-old for fairly a while.

Since he arrived in Leverkusen, Alonso has impressed together with his managerial abilities and the best way he conducts himself. He has not solely turned his group into an nearly unbeatable machine that appear set to finish the “Neverkusen” moniker by successful their first-ever German championship, however Alonso has additionally displayed an admirable diploma of self-reflection.

Alonso as soon as starred in midfield for Bayern between 2014 and 2017 earlier than calling time on his enjoying profession. Despite the fact that he was within the latter phases of his profession, the two-time Champions League winner remained a fixture within the beginning eleven beneath each Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.

Like at Liverpool, who’re additionally strongly pursuing Alonso in view of Jürgen Klopp’s departure in the summertime, Alonso has a variety of admirers inside Bayern headquarters. Bayern, and particularly former CEO and present board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, have remained in touch with Alonso after his exit from Munich. Newly appointed board member Max Eberl tried to rent Xabi Alonso in 2022 when Eberl was the sporting director at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

The German document champions usually extremely worth the best way key personnel characterize the membership, which is why Harry Kane was wanted not solely due to his goal-scoring high quality but in addition for his upstanding public picture. Sources near Bayern have acknowledged that they’ve already began placing out feelers to ship a transparent sign to Alonso that he is their most popular alternative. The truth that they’re actively pursuing the top coach of the present Bundesliga league leaders may create an explosive dynamic, regardless that Alonso has remained strikingly calm when confronted with any rumours about his future.

Nonetheless, Leverkusen’s administration, with Barcelona-born chief government Fernando Carro on the helm, haven’t given up on retaining Alonso past the top of the season. Whereas his contract, which was prolonged within the fall, runs till 2026, it’s understood that he would be capable to go away if he needs to maneuver to a prime European membership.

It’s nearly unattainable to foretell Alonso’s subsequent transfer, however with Liverpool additionally within the race for the Basque supervisor’s providers, Bayern have to discover options in case their first alternative is unavailable.

The distinctive problem of managing Bayern

Ever since Rummenigge and former president Uli Hoeness handed over the reins of the membership, in 2021 and 2019 respectively, a hire-and-fire tradition has developed at Bayern. Regardless of all of the managerial adjustments — Tuchel is their sixth supervisor since 2016 — the Rekordmeister have hoisted the Bundesliga trophy 11 years in a row.

When Tuchel changed Nagelsmann in March 2023, then-sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić and then-CEO Oliver Kahn had been nonetheless in cost; each had been let go instantly after the top of the 2022-23 season, although, and Dreesen emerged as a brand new powerbroker. A few months later, Christoph Freund was put in because the sporting director. Eberl’s appointment to the board was introduced on Tuesday. Rumours persist that both Steffen Korell, the top of scouting at Borussia Mönchengladbach, or Felix Krüger, a lawyer who labored as Eberl’s right-hand man at RB Leipzig, may comply with the latter to Bavaria.

Plus, there’s the previous guard, Hoeness and Rummenigge, who will proceed to be round and concerned in key choices no matter what their official roles could seem. Eberl lists Hoeness as one in every of his function fashions by way of learn how to efficiently run a soccer membership.

Whoever turns into the following Bayern head coach, they want to concentrate on the inside workings and dynamics on the membership and be assured sufficient to often navigate by way of them when waters turn into tough. Alonso ticks each a type of bins, however the options out there, as detailed under, will likely be a compromise in a method or one other.

Zinedine Zidane

The previous world-class participant has been out of a job since leaving Actual Madrid in 2021. He has beforehand been strongly linked with Paris Saint-Germain however by no means agreed to hitch the French champions.

Bayern have naturally saved an eye fixed on Zidane, whose largest benefit over Alonso is perhaps that he has already received main trophies with an equally massive membership in Actual Madrid. That being mentioned, Zidane has by no means performed or coached within the Bundesliga and may wish a while adapting to the tradition in Bavaria.

On paper, he boasts the stature and fame to steer the wheel, however that was mentioned about a few of Bayern’s earlier managers, too.

Unai Emery

Bayern have been following the event of one other profitable Basque supervisor in Emery for fairly a while. Curiosity could have even elevated when his Villarreal eradicated Bayern from the Champions League in 2022. Since Emery is beneath contract at Aston Villa, it may develop into a troublesome proposition to amass his providers this summer season.

José Mourinho

The eccentric coach has been linked with Bayern quite a few instances previously decade or so, particularly when Bayern needed to rent elite coaches from overseas. They ended up signing Guardiola and later Ancelotti earlier than pivoting again to German-speaking managers.

Bild’s Christian Falk reported that Mourinho began studying German after he was ousted from Roma, however as is so typically the case with The Particular One, there may be a variety of smoke and mirrors. Additionally, his fame isn’t what it as soon as was, and Bayern didn’t severely contemplate him previously after they had been in search of a brand new head coach.

Hansi Flick

Earlier than it was introduced that Tuchel would go away Bayern, Flick, the previous Bayern and Germany boss, was rumoured to be a possible candidate for a caretaker or everlasting function. He left Bayern in 2021 due to variations with Salihamidžić.

Sources insist that not everybody among the many membership’s hierarchy is satisfied that Flick’s return would make sense, with Hoeness having vetoed a possible return. Flick’s disastrous stint with Germany has led to doubts about his managerial abilities.

Sebastian Hoeness

Up to now, the present VfB Stuttgart supervisor has not emerged as a number one candidate, however he has an out of doors likelihood on the very least. Stuttgart are third within the league, and his success with a financially restricted membership has considerably elevated his standing.

Furthermore, Hoeness loved three years in Bayern’s academy, finally ending first in Germany’s third division with the reserves. Plus, his uncle, Uli Hoeness, stays probably the most highly effective people and personalities at Sabener Strasse.