- Ralf Rangnick has reportedly turned down the chance to replace Thomas Tuchel
- Bayern must now turn to Plan D after Alonso and Nagelsmann rejected them too
- Come off it, Pep! Chris Wood didn’t miss chance after chance because of the dryness of the pitch – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Ralf Rangnick has reportedly rejected the chance to replace Thomas Tuchel as Bayern Munich manager – leaving the club scrambling for another option.
Bayern had been discussing a deal with Rangnick which would involve him leaving the Austria post early.
However, Rangnick intends to see out his contract with Austria until its expiry in 2026 and will lead them to Euro 2024 this summer, as per BILD.
Rangnick was already their third choice to replace Tuchel after Xabi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann – who used to manage Bayern – turned them down.
‘I’m the Austrian team coach with all my heart. This is not a rejection of Bayern, but rather a decision for my team and our common goals,’ Rangnick said.
Ralf Rangnick has reportedly rejected the chance to replace Thomas Tuchel as Bayern Munich manager
Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann had already turned down the chance to manage Bayern
Thomas Tuchel is due to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the campaign, as announced in February
Bayern and Tuchel revealed in February that he would leave the club at the end of the season.
Reports from Germany claim the squad was fissured at that time, with the likes of Harry Kane and Manuel Neuer pro-Tuchel, and Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich against him.
While Bayern are in the semi-finals of the Champions League, they have failed to win the Bundesliga title after 11 consecutive triumphs.
They were also knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by third-tier side Saarbrucken, with Kane left simmering on the bench.
Their first leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League ended 2-2 on Tuesday night, with goals from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane bookended by strikes from Vinicius Junior.
Rangnick will be a familiar name in England for his ill-fated time as Manchester United’s interim boss in the 2021/22 season.
He led the club to sixth that season following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, failing to convince fans and players – particularly Cristiano Ronaldo.
In Germany his stock is somewhat higher. He is known as the ‘father of Gegenpressing’ and has also performed respectably with Austria.
Bayern are in the semi-finals of the Champions League and drew 2-2 with Real Madrid in the first leg
A signature for Bayern to keep Tuchel over Rangnick has reached 18,533 signatures
It is currently unclear who Bayern will turn to next, but their success in the Champions League dangles an intriguing question: would they reconsider Tuchel’s future?
Recent news that Xavi has U-turned on a similar decision to leave Barcelona begs the question as to whether Bayern and Tuchel will do the same, particularly if he wins Europe’s top prize.
Bayern are on course to beat last season’s points tally and would in usual circumstances seal the title had Leverkusen not recorded a remarkable invincible season.
When news emerged that Bayern were in for Rangnick, fans reacted badly.
Fans established a petition called ‘We want Juppel (Thomas Tuchel) and not Rangnick’ and to date it has garnered more than 18,500 signatures.
Tuchel passed little comment on the matter.
‘Even though this topic is good for me when they [the fans] wish you to stay, it’s not something that is a priority,’ he said before their 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last month.
‘It isn’t allowed to be a priority. In the next 11 days it’s only about football, nothing else. Whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant, I don’t allow myself to be influenced by it.’
Uli Hoeness, Bayern Munich’s honorary president, recently claimed that Tuchel thinks he can’t improve players, a remark which incensed the former Chelsea boss
Tuchel claimed he was ‘offended deeply as a coach’ and called the criticism ‘baseless’
Fault lines have ravaged Tuchel’s reign for some time at Bayern, with particular strain between him and the club’s honorary president, Uli Hoeness.
Recently, Hoeness upped the ante by questioning Tuchel’s attitude as a coach.
‘He doesn’t think he can improve a Davies, Pavlovic or Musiala. If it doesn’t work, you should buy someone else,’ Honess said.
‘I think you should work hard on them and give them confidence.’
Tuchel responded: ‘It offends me deeply as a coach.
Reports earlier this season claimed the likes of Harry Kane were pro-Tuchel, with Thomas Muller heading up an anti-Tuchel camp
‘If we have proven something in the coaching team over the last 15 years, it is that young players – especially from the academy – always have a place with us in training and, through performance, always have a place on the pitch.
‘And by the way, we have now proven that! I have very little understanding of it. I find it absolutely baseless!
‘This is actually so far away from reality that I wouldn’t have reacted to it at all if it hadn’t come from Uli.
‘The fact that comes from our boss before Real gives it a different flavour.’