Thomas Tuchel to leave post as Bayern Munich head coach at end of season
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — Thomas Tuchel will relinquish his post as Bayern Munich head coach at the end of the season, the club announced on Wednesday.
Tuchel, who was hired as head coach of the German powerhouse in March 2023, will leave a year earlier than his original contract end date of June 2025.
The news comes amidst a recent run of disappointing results for Bayern which has seen the club slip eight points behind Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen. The Bavarians also lost 1-0 to Italian club Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash.
“In a good, open discussion, we came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement in the summer,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement.
“Our goal is to pursue a new footballing direction with a new head coach for the 2024/25 season. Until then, every individual at the club is expressly called upon to achieve the maximum possible in the Champions League and Bundesliga,” Dreesen continued.
“I also explicitly hold the team accountable in this regard. In the Champions League in particular, after losing 1-0 in the first leg at Lazio, we are convinced we will reach the quarter-finals at a packed Allianz Arena with our fans behind us.”
Tuchel added: “We have agreed that we will end our working relationship at the end of this season. Until then, I will of course continue to do everything I can with my coaching staff to achieve maximum success.”
Tuchel, who has previsouly coached leading European teams Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, was hired to replace Julian Nagelsmann as Bayern head coach last year, winning the Bundesliga in his first season at the helm.
Having won the German title in dramatic fashion, Tuchel’s Bayern side was bolstered by the addition of Harry Kane in the summer, with the England international signing from Tottenham Hotspur for a reported $126 million.
Kane has scored 25 goals in 22 Bundesliga games, but Bayern suffered a shock defeat in the German Cup to third-tier Saarbrücken and the team’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse during 2024.
Bayern were also convincingly beaten 3-0 by Bundesliga title rival Leverkusen at the beginning of February, a defeat which raised concerns about the team’s direction.
The first-leg Champions League loss to Lazio then followed before Sunday’s defeat to mid-table VFL Bochum as uncharacteristically Bayern slipped to three successive defeats.
Tuchel’s departure at the end of the season comes amid widespread speculation that Bayern are potentially interested in Leverkusen’s highly-rated coach Xabi Alonso.
The 42-year-old Alonso is arguably Europe’s most in-demand coach following the impact he’s had at Leverkusen – revamping the team’s style of play and produciing a dramatic uptick in form.
Bayern is amongst those reportedly interested in hiring the Spaniard, while Alonso’s former club, Liverpool, has also been touted as possibly acquiring his services to replace long-time manager Jürgen Klopp who is leaving the English Premier League club at the end of the season.
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This story has been updated with additional information.
