Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel will leave at the end of the season, the the club announced on Wednesday.
Tuchel's future had been subject to continued speculation with the club eight points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
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Bayern have lost their last three games: two in the Bundesliga at the hands of Leverkusen and Bochum, and also a 1-0 loss to Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie last week.
It was the first time that Bayern lost three competitive games in a row since May 2015, when they had already won the Bundesliga title.
“We have agreed that we will end our working relationship at the end of this season. Until then, I will of course continue to do everything I can with my coaching staff to achieve maximum success,” Tuchel said in a statement.
If Bayern fails to make up ground in Leverkusen, it would be the first time since the 2011-12 season that they have not won the national title.
Tuchel replaced Julien Nagelsmann as Bayern coach last March despite the club being just one point off the top of the Bundesliga and still in the Champions League.
He led them to the league title last season but only claimed silverware on the final day after Borussia Dortmund's failure to beat Mainz allowed Bayern to overtake them.
In the summer, Bayern Munich signed Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal that could be worth up to €120 million ($131 million), and Kim Min-Jae from Napoli for €50 million ($55 million). Dollars). But Lucas Hernández, Ryan Gravenberch, Benjamin Pavard and Sadio Mané also left in that window.
Bayern have started the season well but have struggled lately to keep up with Xabi Alonso's unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen, losing four times and drawing twice in 22 games so far.
After their latest defeat to Bochum on Sunday, Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said Tuchel's future was not up for discussion.
“I'm not a fan of monstrous statements of support for coaches; they're usually over after a week,” Dreesen said.
“But this [Tuchel’s future] It is not a topic we are addressing at this time. “We have to focus on our next games.”
However, that vision proved to be short-lived as Bayern signaled their intention to move on from Tuchel with 12 games left in the season.
“In a good and open discussion we came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement in the summer,” Dreesen said in Wednesday's statement.
“Our goal is to follow a new football direction with a new coach for the 2024-25 season. Until then, every person in the club is expressly called to achieve as much as possible in the Champions League and the Bundesliga.
“I also explicitly blame the team in this regard. Especially in the Champions League, after losing 1-0 in the first leg against Lazio, we are convinced that we will reach the quarterfinals in a packed Allianz Arena and with our fans supporting us.”
