Christian Falk’s Fact Files – How Bayern signed Tuchel, Kane future takes a twist, Tottenham manager search boost & more
[From left to right: Harry Kane, Thomas Tuchel and Randal Kolo Muani… how big of a shake-up could we see happen in the Bundesliga this summer?]Today’s top stories: Does Tuchel’s arrival at Bayern affect a move for Kane this summer? Tuchel’s summer transfer plans… Florian Wirtz’s future amid reported Barcelona interest… Thomas TuchelBayern tried to […]
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[From left to right: Harry Kane, Thomas Tuchel and Randal Kolo Muani… how big of a shake-up could we see happen in the Bundesliga this summer?]
Today’s top stories:
- Does Tuchel’s arrival at Bayern affect a move for Kane this summer?
- Tuchel’s summer transfer plans…
- Florian Wirtz’s future amid reported Barcelona interest…
Thomas Tuchel
Bayern tried to keep Julian Nagelsmann this season, due in no small part to clauses in his contract that would have meant it would have been easier to fire him on July 1.
There are a few reasons why they decided to go in a different direction: one is that the team lost 10 points on Dortmund in 2023. If he hadn’t beaten PSG in the Champions League, he would have been fired earlier. Another thing was that he lost the dressing room; all the leaders in the team had concerns and there were technical questions over his decision-making. The handling of João Cancelo was a case in point, with Nagelsmann struggling to work out how to use him.
I heard Bayern have been holding talks with Thomas Tuchel since the beginning of the week – this is one reason why they had to pull the trigger now, as they were afraid to lose Tuchel for a second time.
In 2018, there were already talks with Tuchel and he was keen to join after Bayern sacked Carlo Ancelotti. Then Jupp Heynckes came and there was another round of talks with Tuchel after the former admitted he didn’t want to do another season with the club.
I know from a meeting with Hasan Salihamidžić in his house in Munich in 2018, they talked for three to five hours and they were clear that they wanted to proceed. However, the president at this time, Uli Hoeneß, didn’t want to accept it.
When they made the final call and said ‘Thomas, we want to do it now,’ he said they were too late and that he’d signed for a new club. He didn’t tell Bayern officials that it was for PSG – but that was indeed the case!
This time, there was a lot of pressure on Bayern to make a decision given the very concrete interest from Tottenham in Thomas Tuchel. We’ve discussed before about the manager being on the list of Real Madrid as well, so Bayern were aware of the possibility that if they didn’t act quickly they would lose him again for a second time to another club.
What’s also very interesting is where this leaves Julian Naglesmann. I know he was very surprised when Bayern first came to him, because of Hansi Flick’s job with the national team, to make that leap from RB Leipzig to Bayern Munich. He had another career plan in mind, specifically making a step in between before joining one of the top five clubs in world football. One of the clubs in this plan was Tottenham, so, perhaps, they will give Nagelsmann a call now.
There was a very, very little thought about Jürgen Klopp perhaps but it was very clear that he’s not on the market. Tuchel was and Bayern was always going to be his No.1 choice if there was a chance for him to become their coach.
Oliver Glasner
The news that Thomas Tuchel is joining Bayern Munich is good news for Oliver Glasner.
They clearly like German coaches over in Tottenham! A few years before, they tried to get Hansi Flick, now they’ve tried to go for Tuchel, they’ve got Glasner on the list; he’s Austrian, of course, but German-speaking and German-thinking.
[Oliver Glasner with the Europa League trophy after Frankfurt beat Rangers – Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images]
The point is that Glasner is thinking about this move, which is why he’s yet to sign a new contract. Frankfurt have tried to extend his contract but there are ongoing discussions about the squad. Glasner wants to make the next step and get better with Frankfurt. If you don’t get better with Frankfurt, you can get better with another team and get a better squad; these are the discussions between Markus Krösche and Glasner.
Frankfurt are searching for alternatives already if it doesn’t work out with Glasner. One of them is a young coach with Dortmund’s U19 side, Mike Tullberg. He’s 37 and has a contract until 2026 with the club.
So, you see, they are thinking about the possibility of losing Glasner.
Is Oliver Glasner the perfect replacement for Antonio Conte at Tottenham? If not, who should Spurs hire as their next manager if the Italian is sacked? Let us know your preference!
Frankfurt
Everyone’s getting the feeling that it’s no longer realistic for Frankfurt to keep Randal Kolo Muani for one year more. The player’s already come out and said it’s the first time he can think about a summer move – to a big club in particular. So, you see, Frankfurt is losing a lot of quality and this could be the reason why Oliver Glasner is considering leaving.
Manchester United is a big thing for Muani. They don’t have the right striker for this position; look at Wout Weghorst – he’s only scored two goals for them.
They are preparing an offer for him. He knows that and if you have United in your head, it’s hard to concentrate on Frankfurt.
Arsenal
Arsenal are reportedly in pole position to sign Declan Rice this summer [Football Insider via CaughtOffside]
Bayern Munich
When you have a new manager, you have to fulfil his wishes, perhaps at least one. Thomas Tuchel is going to get a new team and has time to see what’s missing.
Tuchel learnt a lot from his time at Chelsea; there he was missing a really good striker. He’s a big fan of Harry Kane and if there had been a chance to bring him to Chelsea, he would have done so immediately.
I think this opportunity to have Kane at Bayern Munich would be the thing for Tuchel, as the squad is complete; it’s one of the best squads in terms of quality in the history of the club. But they are missing the big striker up front.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has already worked with Tuchel during his time with PSG. Tuchel knows that Choupo-Moting was a squad player before he made his move to Bayern Munich.
Tuchel will have one shot – that could be an expensive one! This could now be Harry Kane. When a new manager is coming in, of course, there’s the likelihood of players going out in addition to coming in.
[Thomas Tuchel at the Australian Open – (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)]
He wants a lot of players, so they have to get money in. Ultimately, the chance to get Kane in is bigger now that Tuchel has joined the club and I think there will be something in the summer now.
It’s worth remembering that one reason why Tuchel was fired at Chelsea was due to the many discussions he’d had with the club over not getting the players he wanted. One of them was Matthijs de Ligt – he really wanted him. Also on this list was Benjamin Pavard. Not the top target but he was also on Tuchel’s list. There are plenty of players in the Bayern squad he’d love to coach.
Who should Thomas Tuchel sign and sell for Bayern Munich this summer? Let me know your thoughts below!
Bayer Leverkusen
Florian Wirtz has made a decision that he’s staying because of the Euros in Germany in 2024, so there won’t be a summer move. He’s been a big target for Bayern Munich for years but they were really disappointed when he signed a new contract at Leverkusen until 2027, as it makes him a lot more expensive due to the lack of a release clause. It’s unlikely they’ll complete a transfer in the near future.
You have to wait and see how he performs but I think this story will be quiet until 2024 and then everyone needs to see.
He’s here with the national team and we’ve asked him about the rumours of Barcelona. He said that his father (who is the player’s agent) told him nothing about this interest but his decision has been made; he wants to stay at Leverkusen, continue his education, get better and become an important player with the national team. So we won’t have any news until next year.
Borussia Dortmund
It’s surprising that Dortmund want to hand Raphaël Guerreiro a new contract because analysis completed by the Bundesliga side suggested he’s not good enough defensively for the club’s system. But now, Sebastian Kehl, BVB’s sporting director, is working on a new contract because he’s performed very well of late.
They’ve decided that, as they’ve had a really good season, and they want to stay at the top – they see a chance to be a rival to Bayern Munich over the next few years – so they want to ensure there’s appropriate backup for every position. So they want to keep Guerreiro.
Now they see they can be champions in Germany, they’re earning a lot of money, and they see the need for a bigger squad. So this is Guerreiro’s chance to stay.
Chelsea
Chelsea are currently monitoring the availability of Nagelsmann and they could look to make a move for him as a replacement for Graham Potter [Football Insider via CaughtOffside]
The post Christian Falk’s Fact Files – How Bayern signed Tuchel, Kane future takes a twist, Tottenham manager search boost & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.