With Bayern Munich enduring a mini-crisis at the moment, the future of current manager, Thomas Tuchel, has been called into question.
After three consecutive losses and four defeats in eight matches in 2024, Tuchel looks unlikely to spend his long-term future in Munich, but as of now, he remains in charge at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern followed up last week’s 1-0 defeat to Lazio in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg by losing 3-2 to Vfl Bochum on the weekend in the Bundesliga.
According to Sky in Germany, Bayern are keen for Tuchel to see out the season despite the side’s current poor form and only make a decision on a new manager in the summer if necessary. Tuchel himself is not worried about losing his job and has no plans to step down from his position.
Providing Bayern parted ways with Tuchel, the favoured successor by the club is a former player and current Bayer Leverkusen manager, Xabi Alonso. The 42-year-old has lately earned a reputation as being one of the best and most promising managers of his generation.
The Spaniard is currently overseeing Bayer Leverkusen’s dominance in the Bundesliga, with his side currently eight points above Tuchel’s side and in a commanding position to end Bayern’s 11-season winning streak in Germany’s top division. Earlier this month, Alonso put the football world on notice as he led his side to an impressive 3-0 win over Bayern.
However, despite Bayern’s interest in Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen believes he will remain with the club beyond this campaign and Alonso himself is not thinking about anything other than his current job for now.
Bayern are set to face competition for Alonso’s signature should the club choose to make a move for him, as he is reported to also be a primary target for Liverpool this summer. The Premier League club are planning for a new manager for next season as the current boss, Jurgen Klopp, is stepping down after this season.
Alonso represented Liverpool as a player as well, so he will have a tough choice to make if both Bayern and Liverpool approach him after this current season finishes.
Other candidates Bayern are keeping an eye on include former Real Madrid boss, Zinedine Zidane. After having an illustrious playing career, the Frenchman has proven he can replicate his excellence in the dugout as he led Real Madrid to three successive Champions League titles and two La Liga titles in his first managerial spell with the Spanish giants.
Zidane is viewed as a good fit for Bayern due to his experience with winning on the big stage. Since stepping down from his second spell at Real Madrid in 2021, Zidane has been out of work and appears in no rush to get back into management as he has turned down offers to manage the United States, Brazilian and Portuguese men’s national teams.
If Zidane was keen on the Bayern job, appointing him would be quite straightforward as he is currently unemployed so no compensation fees would be involved. Also, Bayern could appoint the Frenchman right away if the club dismissed Tuchel whilst the season is still ongoing.
Bayern are also keeping tabs on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a potential interim appointment until the end of the season should Tuchel be fired in the coming weeks. Solskjaer has not taken another job since being sacked as Manchester United manager in late 2021.
Prior to being appointed the permanent manager of Manchester United in March 2019, Solskjaer first took on the reins at Old Trafford on an interim basis in December 2018. Here, he made an immediate impact by overseeing a 12-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, which included 10 wins.
The club also advanced past Paris Saint Germain in a memorable Champions League round of 16 tie.
This experience of immediately turning around the fortunes of a big club and boosting the morale around the team could be why Bayern have Solskjaer in mind as a possible solution to help get through the season.
For now, Tuchel has the faith of the Bayern board and he will be focusing on getting his side back to winning ways when RB Leipzig visits the Allianz Arena this coming Saturday in a crucial Bundesliga clash.
