When Bayern Munich fired Julian Nagelsmann just under a year ago, it came as a surprise to many that the eternal German champions would so prematurely resign from the talented young coach who had been recruited to usher in a new era at the Allianz Arena. . However, last week's announcement that Nagelsmann's successor, Thomas Tuchel, will leave the club at the end of the season despite having a contract until the 2024-25 season, came as no surprise.
The news came immediately after Bayern's three consecutive defeats: 3-0 against Bayern Leverkusen, 1-0 against Lazio in the Champions League and 3-2 against VfL Bochum. Eight points behind Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, Bayern are in serious danger of ending their campaign without a trophy for the first time since 2012. While the club was reluctant to sack Tuchel mid-season, talks with the 50-year-old coach years led to the decision that it will not continue beyond the current campaign.
“After a good and open discussion, we came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement in the summer,” CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement. “Our goal is to follow a new football direction with a new coach for the 2024-25 season.”
The announcement gives Bayern plenty of time to find a new coach as they want to ensure their next hire remains at the club longer than the 14 months Tuchel will have been in charge when his tenure ends, or Nagelsmann's 21 months. He spent in Bavaria.
“In a short time we have replaced three coaches,” said president Herbert Hainer. “We want to work with a coach long-term. So he will take our time to think about it and analyze it and hopefully hire the right one.”
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Xabi Alonso is the number one target, according to multiple sources. Bayern has been keeping an eye on the 42-year-old for some time.
Since arriving at Leverkusen, Alonso has impressed with his management skills and way of carrying himself. Not only has he turned his team into a nearly unbeatable machine that looks set to put an end to the “Neverkusen” nickname by winning its first German championship, but Alonso has also demonstrated an admirable degree of self-reflection.
Alonso once starred in Bayern's midfield between 2014 and 2017 before ending his playing career. Although he was in the latter stages of his career, the two-time Champions League winner remained a fixture in the starting XI with Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti.
As with Liverpool, who are also strongly pursuing Alonso in the face of Jürgen Klopp's departure in the summer, Alonso has many admirers within Bayern's headquarters. Bayern, and specifically former CEO and current board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, have remained in contact with Alonso after his departure from Munich. Newly appointed board member Max Eberl tried to hire Xabi Alonso in 2022, when Eberl was sporting director of Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The German record champions usually highly value the way their top players represent the club, so Harry Kane was sought after not only for his goalscoring quality but also for his excellent public image. Sources close to Bayern have stated that they have already started probing to send a clear signal to Alonso that it is his preferred option. The fact that they are actively pursuing the coach of the current Bundesliga leaders could create an explosive dynamic, although Alonso has remained surprisingly calm about any rumors about his future.
However, the Leverkusen management, with Barcelona general director Fernando Carro at the helm, has not given up on retaining Alonso beyond the end of the season. While his contract, which was renewed in the autumn, runs until 2026, it is understood he could leave if he wishes to move to a major European club.
It is almost impossible to predict Alonso's next move, but with Liverpool also in the race for the Basque coach's services, Bayern need to explore alternatives should their first option become unavailable.
The unique challenge of managing Bayern
Since Rummenigge and former president Uli Hoeness handed over the reins of the club, in 2021 and 2019 respectively, a culture of hiring and firing has developed at Bayern. Despite all the managerial changes (Tuchel is his sixth coach since 2016), the recording master They have lifted the Bundesliga trophy 11 years in a row.
When Tuchel replaced Nagelsmann in March 2023, then-sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić and then-chief executive Oliver Kahn were still in charge; However, both were fired immediately after the end of the 2022-23 season, and Dreesen emerged as a new power broker. A couple of months later, Christoph Freund took over as sporting director. Eberl's appointment to the council was announced Tuesday. Rumors continue that Steffen Korell, Borussia Mönchengladbach's chief scout, or Felix Krüger, the lawyer who worked as Eberl's right-hand man at RB Leipzig, could follow the latter to Bavaria.
Then there is the old guard, Hoeness and Rummenigge, who will still be present and involved in key decisions regardless of what their official roles may appear to be. Eberl mentions Hoeness as one of his role models in how to successfully run a football club.
Whoever becomes Bayern's next coach must be aware of the inner workings and dynamics of the club and be confident enough to navigate them regularly when the waters get turbulent. Alonso ticks all of those boxes, but the available alternatives, as detailed below, will be a compromise one way or another.
Zinedine Zidane
The former world-class player has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. He was previously heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain but never agreed to join the French champions.
Naturally, Bayern have been keeping an eye on Zidane, whose biggest advantage over Alonso might be that he has already won major trophies with an equally big club like Real Madrid. That said, Zidane has never played or coached in the Bundesliga and might need some time to adapt to the Bavarian culture.
On paper, he boasts the stature and reputation to lead the midfielder, but that was also said about some of Bayern's previous coaches.
Unai Emery
Bayern has been following the evolution of another successful Basque coach for some time: Emery. Interest may have even increased when his Villarreal side knocked Bayern out of the Champions League in 2022. With Emery under contract to Aston Villa, it could prove a difficult proposition to acquire his services this summer.
Jose Mourinho
The eccentric coach has been linked with Bayern on numerous occasions over the last decade, especially when Bayern wanted to hire elite coaches from abroad. They ended up signing Guardiola and then Ancelotti before hiring German-speaking coaches again.
Christian Falk, from Bild reported that Mourinho started learning German after being kicked out of Roma, but as is often the case with The Special One, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors. Furthermore, his reputation is not what it once was and Bayern did not seriously consider him in the past when they were looking for a new coach.
Hansi Flick
Before it was announced that Tuchel would be leaving Bayern, Flick, the former Bayern and Germany manager, was rumored to be a potential candidate for an interim or permanent role. He left Bayern in 2021 due to differences with Salihamidžić.
Sources insist that not all members of the club's hierarchy are convinced that Flick's return makes sense, with Hoeness having vetoed a possible return. Flick's disastrous time in Germany has raised doubts about his managerial abilities.
Sebastian Honess
So far the current VfB Stuttgart coach has not emerged as a prominent candidate, but at least he has a chance. Stuttgart are third in the league and their success at a financially strapped club has significantly increased their position.
In addition, Hoeness enjoyed three years in Bayern's academy and finished first in Germany's third division with the reserve team. Furthermore, his uncle, Uli Hoeness, remains one of the most powerful people and personalities on Sabener Strasse.
