FC Bayern Munich has the separation confirmed by coach Julian Nagelsmann. As the German record champions also announced, Thomas Tuchel will succeed him.
Tuchel last coached Chelsea and won the Champions League with the Premier League club in 2021. He was previously in charge of Paris St. Germain and in the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05. Tuchel has now received a contract with Bayern until June 30, 2025 and, according to the club, will be in charge of training for the first time on Monday. With Nagelsmann, the assistant coaches Dino Toppmöller, Benjamin Glück and Xaver Zembrod will also be released.
It came to the realization that “the quality of our squad – despite the German championship last year – has shown itself less and less often,” said CEO Oliver Kahn: “After the World Cup, we played less and less successfully and attractively, the strong fluctuations in performance called into question our goals this season, but also beyond this season, so we have now reacted.”
Sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić said in a statement from the club: “It was the most difficult decision in my time as a sporting director at FC Bayern. I have had an open, trusting, friendly relationship with Julian from day one.” He regrets the separation. “But after a thorough analysis of the sporting development of our team, especially since January and with the experience of the second half of the previous season, we have now jointly decided to release Julian.” He was “very grateful to Julian for what he did for Bayern Munich” and wished him all the best.
It was already leaked on Thursday evening that Bayern would part ways with Nagelsmann and bring in Thomas Tuchel as his successor. In 2018, the native of Krumbach was already a hot candidate for a coaching position at Bayern. But Munich hesitated too long for Tuchel. He went to Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern ultimately hired Niko Kovač.
Nagelsmann came to Bayern as a coach in 2021 and won the tenth championship in a row. Nevertheless, the season was not necessarily considered a success: They were eliminated early in the cup and embarrassed themselves with a 0:5 against Gladbach, in the Champions League Bayern failed at the supposed lucky lot Villarreal.
Most recently, the club had repeatedly backed him. President Herbert Hainer recently praised him in an interview. He was “extremely far,” he said. “Julian does it very well. The coaching discussion in between came from outside, we didn’t start it.” Honorary President Uli Hoeneß spoke of a campaign against the coach. “I don’t think he was guilty of anything,” he said ahead of the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
Nagelsmann previously trained RB Leipzig and TSG Hoffenheim. In 2016 at Hoffenheim he became the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history at the age of 28.