EXPRESS
Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has spoken out on disciplinary issues involving Julian Nagelsmann amid links to Tottenham’s managerial hotseat. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could swoop for the axed Bayern boss before the end of the international break, with Antonio Conte thought to be living on borrowed time in north London.
Nagelsmann was unexpectedly sacked this week following Bayern’s 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. He oversaw victories in all three of his other matches in March, including a second-leg Champions League knockout triumph over French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern acted quickly in appointing former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel as his replacement. A coach of Nagelsmann’s pedigree is unlikely to be out of work for long, however, and Spurs are reportedly keen to initiate talks.
Salihamidzic may have thrown a spanner in the works, however, by admitting that Nagelsmann and Bayern chiefs butted heads during his two-year spell in the dugout.
“Of course there were problems — and we had a few discipline issues,” he told Sport1. “Julian Nagelsmann is a very good coach. But we had a few problems.” Despite the unrest behind the scenes, Salihamidzic went on to admit that dismissing the 35-year-old was a tough call to make.
“We always wanted to be behind Julian until the last second. Then, when we analyzed it, we noticed that the trend just wasn’t going up anymore – and only then did we contact Thomas Tuchel. We met for the first time on Tuesday – and then the process went very quickly.”
