Opinion
The damn trainer search
Bayern can no longer have everyone
Bayern manager Max Eberl has already received two coaching rejections
© Tom Weller / DPA
At the moment there is much to suggest that Ralf Rangnick will take over Thomas Tuchel’s job as Bayern coach from the summer. Only one thing is certain: Rangnick would not be the first choice. That says a lot about the state of Bayern.
In addition to Rangnick, names such as Unay Emery, currently employed at Aston Villa, and Roberto De Zerbi, coach at Brighton & Hove Albion, have recently been circulating through the rumor mill at Bayern. They were considered preferred candidates but, according to media reports, are not available. Emery has just extended his contract with Aston Villa. In addition, other names were brought into play almost every day, which were probably the result of the fantasies of experts (Martin Demichelis, suggested by Lothar Matthäus) or journalists (the Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” reported Zinedine Zidane’s almost-signing).
Ralf Rangnick would be an interesting choice
So it means: be patient. At some point, sports director Max Eberl, for whom the search for a coach represents the first big challenge at FC Bayern, will present Thomas Tuchel’s successor. If Rangnick came to Säbener Straße, it would definitely be an interesting personnel move. The veteran coach is extremely capable and has made numerous teams better, currently the Austrian national team.
Football Bundesliga
Beer shower for the master coach: Ex-Vizekusen celebrates the title here
But no matter who it ends up being, the new Bayern coach will only be third choice. This is nothing unusual in the football business. Every club has to follow the laws of the market. Availability, salary, perspective, character, game idea – all of this plays a role. But the fact that two candidates, Xabi Alonso (1st choice) and Julian Nagelsmann (2nd choice), have already canceled is unusual for the German record champions. The fact that this extensive search for personnel even took place fits into the picture of a club that is not quite at its best at the moment. Bayern’s appeal is obviously no longer as great as it used to be.
FC Bayern gives the impression of a chaotic club
The separations of Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel gave the outside impression that they were ill-thought out and chaotic. Bayern had recently lost a certain respectability. That applied to the sacked management duo Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic, and it applies to the current bosses, CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and sports director Christoph Freund, who still have to prove their competence. Not to be forgotten: the job of sports director has been vacant since Salihamidzic left in May 2023. Here too, there has recently been no reliable continuity. All of this has damaged the image and ensured that coaches take a closer look at what prospects they have at Bayern.