Talks failed
Tuchel announces final exit from FC Bayern
May 17, 2024, 11:39 a.m
Recently there were signs of a spectacular turnaround at FC Bayern: talks were ongoing between the club and coach Thomas Tuchel about staying beyond the summer. But they failed, as the coach now announces.
Thomas Tuchel is leaving FC Bayern this summer. The decision from February stands. In the past few days there have been indications that there might be a turnaround after all. But that doesn’t happen now. Tuchel confirmed this morning that there had been discussions about staying. But no agreement could be reached. The coach remained silent about the reasons. “This is the last press conference on Säbener Strasse,” he said and was in a good mood.
“It was very difficult. Experiences like those in the Champions League bring you together,” said Tuchel before his last game at TSG Hoffenheim. It was difficult for him to leave the team. The outgoing coach emphasized that the initiative to stay came from the club. “The collaboration with the team was the main reason why such a 180-degree turnaround was still an issue, but we just couldn’t find an agreement.” The record champion’s supervisory board had apparently signaled its fundamental agreement to continue the cooperation this week.
In recent weeks, FC Bayern has rejected Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick, among others, in its search for a coach for the coming season. Several players such as captain Manuel Neuer are said to have recently stood up for Tuchel. The coach has also been very popular with fans recently. There was even an online petition for him to stay. One reason for this was the sometimes outstanding performances in the Champions League. A few days ago, FC Bayern failed bitterly against Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
After a surreal defeat at VfL Bochum in February, the Munich team reached an agreement with Tuchel a few days later to terminate his contract, which runs until the summer of 2025, at the end of this season. According to his own statement, sports director Max Eberl had “zero point of influence” on this decision: “I wasn’t asked. I started on March 1st, when the fair was already over to some extent.” Most recently, he and sports director Christoph Freund pushed the Tuchel option.