Football
It’s official, Bayern have fired their coach
The Munich residents have decided to part ways with their coach, Julian Nagelsmann. He is replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Updated
Julian Nagelsmann on Friday upon his arrival at Bayern headquarters in Munich.
AFP
Bayern Munich decided on Friday to part ways with their coach Julian Nagelsmann, and to replace him with Thomas Tuchel for a contract until the summer of 2025, a few days before a decisive month of April for the Munich season.
Transferred to Bavaria in the summer of 2021 from RB Leipzig for an amount estimated between 20 and 25 million euros, Nagelsmann, under contract until the summer of 2026, is suspended from his duties by the management of Bayern, specifies the club.
Thomas Tuchel must conduct his first training on Monday at Säbener Strasse, while a large part of his players will still be with their national teams.
“It’s the hardest decision I’ve had to make in my career as Bayern sporting director. I regret this separation. But after a basic analysis of the sporting evolution of the team, especially since January, we have decided to suspend Julian from his functions, “commented Hasan Salihamidzic, quoted in the press release from Bayern.
Chairman of the club’s management board, Oliver Kahn evokes “a quality” of the team which “has been visible more and more rarely”, especially after the winter break, to the point of endangering the club’s objectives for the season.
Bayern are preparing for crucial weeks for their season, starting with a decisive German championship “Klassiker” for the awarding of the title against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday April 1 (6:30 p.m.), and above all a double confrontation against Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League (go on April 11 in England, return on April 19 in Germany).
Bayern’s worst season for 11 years
Author of a flawless run in the Champions League (eight wins in as many games) this season, Bayern has more difficulties in the Bundesliga with already three setbacks and a seat as leader lost on Sunday to Borussia Dortmund, achieving its most bad season for eleven years in the league.
Nagelsmann will therefore have spent just under two seasons at Bayern, with the national title last season but also an elimination in the second round of the German Cup and in the quarter-finals of C1 against the Spaniards of Villarreal.
Winner of the Champions League in the summer of 2021 with Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel has often been cited to become the coach of Bayern Munich. In the summer of 2018, he finally signed up for Paris SG. His adventures at Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea each ended in dismissal.
After being fired by Chelsea in early September 2022, Tuchel moved to Munich.
(AFP)