Thomas Tuchel has to vacate the coaching chair at FC Bayern in a few weeks. When it comes to the successor question, there is currently a clear favorite.
Munich – At FC Bayern there are some indications of another coaching comeback. After Jupp Heynckes, who experienced four terms at Säbener Strasse, and Ottmar Hitzfeld have proven in the past that second and subsequent attempts can be successful, Julian Nagelsmann may be able to show from the summer that he has drawn the right conclusions from his first stint has.
FC Bayern looking for a coach: “Nagelsmann is currently the top favorite to succeed Tuchel”
At least that's what
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reporters Christian Falk and Tobias Altschäffl want to know. In the “Bayern Insider” podcast, Falk reveals: “Our research has shown that Julian Nagelsmann is currently the top favorite to succeed Tuchel.” However, he also called the personality “curious.”
After all, it was just over a year ago that Nagelsmann was chased off the court by the record champions. Because the management team at the time around Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic saw the triple they were aiming for in danger and didn't want to miss the chance to sign Thomas Tuchel. The end of the song is known: Only the championship trophy went to Munich in a heart-stopping final, and this year the first titleless season since time immemorial is looming.
Nagelsmann to FC Bayern? “There is also a great advocate in Eberl”
But Altschäffl also emphasizes that there is currently a lot going for the current national coach. “Things happened quite quickly over the course of the weeks after Alonso was canceled. Julian Nagelsmann has moved further and further up the ranks,” he reports: “It looks like – Bayern would like to have him, I think there is also a big advocate for Nagelsmann in Max Eberl – the mood on Säbener Strasse has changed. “
The personnel has “not yet been definitely confirmed”. And it doesn't sound as if only Nagelsmann has to raise his thumb. But according to Altschäffl, “scenarios are being created” so that the 36-year-old's current job, which makes him indispensable in the summer due to the home European Championships, does not represent an obstacle. In order to guarantee that the future coach can concentrate on his work during the tournament, the squad plans should be determined in advance.
New coach at FC Bayern: In addition to Nagelsmann, Rangnick and De Zerbi are apparently also in the running
Then the new sports director Eberl and sports director Christoph Freund would have to implement this during the European Championship weeks. “We are already working out how to justify the whole thing,” says Altschäffl about Nagelsmann’s return. A total of three candidates are still in the race. Ralf Rangnick is another current national coach who wants to surprise Austria. Also Roberto De Zerbi, who is causing a stir in the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Regarding the Italian, however, Falk writes on the insider portal caughtoffside.com that the Bayern bosses are not sure whether he is a good fit for the club. Because De Zerbi is considered difficult, doesn't speak German and would be on the mat with a large team of trainers. After all: Eberl has already made contact and De Zerbi is interested.
Nagelsmann before Bayern return? According to experts, team could be an obstacle
Both should also apply to Nagelsmann. The self-confessed Bayern fan is probably eager to coach his way into the hearts of the fans and expand FC Bayern's already extensive trophy collection.
The
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duo also mentions that a return would be anything but unproblematic. Kahn and Salihamidžić are now FCB history, “but some of the players from back then are still there,” emphasizes Falk. There was a certain tension between the coach and the team at the time: “Julian Nagelsmann was also pretty desperate with this team at the time. Everything Tuchel is going through now, he has already gone through.” He also went through the board several times because the stars didn’t always follow him.
Nagelsmann and the Bayern stars: doubts when dealing with Neuer or Goretzka
Altschäffl makes it clear that Nagelsmann is trusted to develop young players. But how he gets along with the stars would be a much more exciting question: “It didn't work out with Lewandowski, things went a bit wrong with Neuer. And I also believe that with Leon Goretzka.” With the latter, it is even possible that Nagelsmann will leave him out of the DFB team and then work with him in the club a few weeks later: “I don’t think that would really go well.”
Therefore, a Nagelsmann comeback would “of course be a certain risk”. Falk would even go further: “It’s a real risk. Because if it doesn't work again, then of course everyone would say: You should have known about it beforehand. It's a bit of Russian roulette that Hoeneß and Rummenigge are playing.” Even if the two Bayern grandees certainly don't have just one cartridge. Ultimately, in his opinion, it depends on the patron and the ex-boss, “because they have already experienced Nagelsmann”.
Altschäffl, on the other hand, points out: “In the end, Max Eberl also has to hold his head. He then has to decide.” For him there is also a lot to gain: “If it works, then you could also say: Now with the new leadership, everything will suddenly work for Nagelsmann.”
Nagelsmann and the home European Championship: summer tournament could complicate Bayern's search for a coach
On top of that, even if the Reds are already bringing forward their transfer plans, the European Championship could also make the coaching question even more difficult. “Imagine if Bayern do the same thing with Nagelsmann and the European Championship goes wrong. Difficult,” says Falk.
Altschäffl turns the tables: “Imagine Germany becoming European champions. The final will be played on July 14th and the celebration will be on the 15th. I'm guessing that Bayern's training starts sometime at the beginning of July - July 3rd and 4th. Then we have to see who will train the players who are there for two weeks.”
FC Bayern is looking for Tuchel's successor: Nagelsmann's comeback is probably only a question of when
So there are a lot of arguments for and against. It would certainly be easier for the Bayern bosses to land a coach who would have his head completely free for FCB in the summer. The problem: Those who seem available are unlikely to have any real spirit of optimism.
And like with Tuchel a year ago, the question arises: If the record champions don't take Nagelsmann, when would the next opportunity arise? The fact that the native of Upper Bavaria will play for the record champions again at some point should be as certain as Bayer Leverkusen's first championship. It's more about when both sides are ready for the comeback. Is the time really ripe this summer?
(mg)