“Hardest decision”
Now it’s official: FC Bayern has parted ways with coach Julian Nagelsmann. According to previous media reports, the record champions officially confirmed the surprising end of the 35-year-old on Friday evening. In the course of this, the club announced the successor: Thomas Tuchel, who had been without a club since being kicked out at Chelsea in September, signed until 2025.
Nagelsmann switched from RB Leipzig to Munich in 2021 for the coaching world record sum of 25 million euros and had received a contract until 2026. Since then, the native of Landsberg has scored an average of 2.31 points from 84 competitive games, won the championship and the Supercup twice. In the current Champions League season, Bayern have been victorious in eight out of eight games, in the quarter-finals it is up against co-favorite Manchester City for former Bayern coach Pep Guardiola.
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“When we signed Julian Nagelsmann for FC Bayern in the summer of 2021, we were convinced that we would work with him on a long-term basis – and that was the goal of all of us right up to the end. Julian shares our aspiration to play successful and attractive football. But now we have come to the realization that the quality of our squad – despite the German championship last year – has shown itself less and less often. After the World Cup we played less and less successfully and attractively, the strong fluctuations in performance called our goals into question this season, but also beyond this season. That’s why we’ve reacted now. Personally and on behalf of FC Bayern, I would like to thank Julian and his coaching team and wish everyone the best of luck for the future,” said Oliver Kahn, CEO of FC Bayern.
Sport director Hasan Salihamidzic said that Nagelsmann’s dismissal was “the most difficult decision in my time as manager of sport at Bayern Munich. I have had an open, trusting, friendly relationship with Julian from day one. I regret the separation from Julian. 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 decided together to release Julian. I am very grateful to Julian for what he has done for FC Bayern and I wish him all the best.” Never before has a coach with a higher point average than Nagelsmann (2.38) been dismissed during a season in the top European leagues.
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Tuchel, meanwhile, had triumphed in 2021 with the Blues in the “premier class”. Before his commitment to Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, he was repeatedly traded as a candidate for Bayern. There have recently been reports that he is squinting at the job at Real Madrid, but could also imagine the German record champions for his next coaching position. In addition, he is said to have recently been in talks with Tottenham Hotspur. In his first game as Bayern coach, the 49-year-old coach meets his former club Borussia Dortmund on April 1st.
The “Picture” meanwhile calculated what the release of Nagelsmann and his coaching team should cost FC Bayern overall. Because automatic severance clauses would only have taken effect from July 2023 – after the second season – Nagelsmann is said to be continuing to collect his salary for the time being. According to the newspaper, this is 8 to 9 million euros per year. The coach is currently entitled to up to around EUR 27 million until the end of the contract in 2026. Including the remuneration for the assistants Dino Toppmöller, Xaver Zembrod and video analyst Benjamin Glück, who were also dismissed, the package supposedly brings together up to 30 million euros.
FC Bayern has released coach Julian Nagelsmann. CEO Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidžić came to this decision in consultation with President Herbert Hainer. Nagelsmann will be succeeded by Thomas Tuchel.
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayern) March 24, 2023
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