Outgoing Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel admitted this weekend that their title challenge is over, signalling the first time the club have failed to win the Bundesliga since 2011.
Bayern’s 2-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday saw them drift 13 points behind unbeaten leaders Bayer Leverkusen at the summit. Tuchel’s departure in May has already been announced, but Bayern are yet to make a decision on his replacement at the Allianz Arena.
Indeed, Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso – a former Bayern player – was thought to be the preferred successor to Tuchel, but Alonso recently called a press conference to commit his immediate future to his current club. With Barcelona and Liverpool also on the lookout for a new manager this summer, there is likely to be fierce competition for the most in-demand names.
On Sky Sports Germany on Sunday, there were calls for José Mourinho be a frontrunner for the position. Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann and ex-Bayern technical director Michael Reschke were live on a broadcast and both men advocated the appointment of Mourinho, who has reportedly been improving his command of German.
Hamman went as far as to say Mourinho should be hired immediately to give the team the best chance of winning the Champions League, where they will play Arsenal in the quarter finals. “The club has to make a decision about what is best," Hamann said. "If Bayern play as they can, they could have a good chance of progressing against Arsenal. The management must ask themselves if they will spend the next few weeks with Tuchel.
“No, we saw yesterday [Saturday] why we should think about bringing in a new coach for the last weeks [of the season]. There are several on the market and I'm thinking about Mourinho.
“You can think whatever you want about Mourinho, but at Chelsea, for example, the players loved him. And he is also exceptional from a technical point of view. The two, three and five-year contracts haven't been working recently and we need to give them momentum, because the Dortmund game was an eye-opener.”
Reschke, who was director at Bayern until 2017, agreed with Hamman’s choice. “There is only one goal, the Champions League, and Mourinho is a motivational artist and has charisma. It may not be the solution, but it is an approach we must pursue. We have to seriously discuss Mourinho at Bayern.”
Mourinho has been linked with the Bayern job for much of the season, even before he was fired by Roma in January. The Portuguese, who has already won league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, recently stated he is keen to return to management soon.
By @SeanGillen9
