Bayern Munich is set to replace head coach Julian Nagelsmann with Thomas Tuchel. An initial report by Fabrizio Romano was quickly confirmed by various German outlets, including Bild, Kicker, and Transfermarkt. Nagelsmann, who is currently on a ski holiday in Austria, will be officially informed by the club on Friday, and at that point, a club statement can also be expected.
The sacking of the 35-year-old head coach ends an expensive experiment by Bayern. The Rekordmeister signed Nagelsmann in 2021 from rivals RB Leipzig for what was a record transfer fee at the time for a coach understood to be in the region of €25 million ($27 million).
At first glance, the move to fire Nagelsmann at this stage seems surprising. Bayern is just one point behind Dortmund in the title race. In the Champions League, the German giants won eight out of eight games, conceding just two goals and keeping a clean sheet against giants like Inter Milan, Barcelona, and PSG—the only team to score against Bayern was tiny Viktoria Plzen from the Czech Republic.
In fact, of the remaining Champions League games, Bayern would undoubtedly be considered the favorites to win the competition. Under Nagelsmann, Bayern has dominated every opponent, and the recent tie against PSG, in particular, was impressive.
But there is also a flip side. As good as Bayern has been in Europe, there have been several instances this season where the Rekordmeister stumbled in the Bundesliga. Most recently, the performances against Gladbach and Leverkusen come to mind.
…Listening to people in and around Munich, it becomes quickly apparent that this might have been a decision that was not made overnight. Tuchel, who has been available since September, has lived in the Bavarian capital for a few weeks. As reports grew that he might take on another club soon, Bayern might have just made an opportunistic decision to secure the right coach now rather than being without an alternative later this season.
For Tuchel, it is the second chance to take over the Rekordmeister. The 49-year-old was already closely linked to Bayern in 2018, but a move did not materialize. This time the deal appears to be done, but whether all sides will be happy with the decision remains to be seen.
After all, Tuchel, just like Nagelsmann, is a man of his principles and can be controversial off the pitch. But Tuchel has also successfully navigated difficult projects like PSG and Chelsea. Perhaps that will be different as Bayern has secured an older, more experienced version of Nagelsmann at a moment when all goals this season are still within reach.
