Bayern Munich to sack Nagelsmann, set to appoint Thomas Tuchel as new manager
A perfect record in the UEFA Champions League this season, a place in the DFB-Pokal quarter final and a point away from the summit in the Bundesliga hasn’t been enough for embattled boss Julian Nagelsmann to keep his job as Bayern Munich manager.
The German giants are poised to sack the former RB Leipzig manager, and have lined up his compatriot Thomas Tuchel as a replacement.
Bayern Munich are reportedly understood to inform Nagelsmann on Friday that his services are not going to be required.The 35-year-old hasn’t been at the training ground this week due to the international break.
Reports from Fabrizio Romano further reveal that Tuchel, who has been living in Munich for weeks, has already accepted the offer and is set to join the team at the start of next week. Who could be his first opponent as Bayern boss? Borussia Dortmund, of course.
The German has been patient following his sacking in September by Chelsea’s new management.
As per Sky Sports in Germany, Tuchel will sign a long-term deal with Bayern Munich, contrary to many other reports stating that the length of his deal will be no more than two-and-a-half years.
The Bavarians were thoroughly impressed with Tuchel’s ideas for the squad as well as his vision. It goes without saying, his record of nurturing young players, building hard-working, tenacious teams bodes well ahead of the new challenge.
Tuchel inspired a fragmentary Chelsea squad to their second UCL title and then went on to complete the European set with UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies. Not only did the Blues emerge as one of the meanest defenses in Europe, but were a treat to watch with the width, energy, and pace they operated with.
More so, Tuchel’s CV underlines his ability to adapt to different squad sizes and personnel. His roster management, and history of dealing with big egos are plus points ahead of what would be another takeover of a high-profile squad loaded with talent.
As for Nagelsmann and a section of Bayern Munich supporters, this decision seems harsh given that they’re only a point off the top in the league and have arguably been the deadliest team on the European stage.
Nagelsmann will leave Bayern Munich with a staggering win percentage of 71.4. To better place things into perspective, the 32-time Bundesliga champions have only lost thrice all season, scoring 112 goals in merely 37 matches.
However, the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Leverkusen appeared to have been the final nail in the coffin for Nagelsmann. He could make the switch to Tottenham Hotspur with Antonio Conte likely to leave, or Real Madrid should the club move on from Carlo Ancelotti.
Joao Cancelo, a player who was persuaded by Nagelsmann, thanked the former Hoffenheim manager after Portugal’s 4-0 win over Liechtenstein. He remarked:
“I’ve only found out now, I know I won’t find Nagelsmann when I return to Munich – he wanted me to Bayern, I’d like to thank him. As for Tuchel, he made me lose a Champions League final, so I hope he will win it for me this year!”
All eyes, indeed, will be on Tuchel when he leads Bayern Munich to the Champions League quarters against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. The German led Chelsea to three wins in one season against the Spaniard, with the latest of those being the most memorable – the UCL final.
The first assignment will be to overthrow Borussia Dortmund when the foes meet on April 1st for a top-of-the-table clash.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ank Kumar. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.