Thomas Tuchel’s time at Bayern Munich came to a disappointing end with a 4-2 defeat against Hoffenheim on the last matchday of the Bundesliga. Bayern tried to persuade Tuchel to stay for one more season, but they couldn’t reach an agreement over an extension. The German coach ends his time at Die Roten with one Bundesliga title.
Bayern have been struggling to find Tuchel’s replacement in the last couple of months. After missing out on five head coaches for different reasons, Die Roten find themselves in a tricky position. Despite running out of options, Bayern do not have plans to approach one of the most attractive coaches on the market.
According to Bild, Bayern have no plans to work on a deal for Zinedine Zidane. The French coach has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. Despite several rejections, Bayern do not consider Zidane as one of the candidates to replace Tuchel.
Zidane has enjoyed significant success during his two tenures at Real Madrid. He helped the Spanish club to win three consecutive Champions League titles. Real Madrid also enjoyed domestic success under Zidane. It is surprising to see Bayern not even considering him as an option to replace Tuchel.
Bild has also reported that Bayern made a move for Benfica’s Roger Schmidt. However, the German coach has no plans to leave Benfica for Bavaria. The job at Bayern is not as attractive as it used to be since several coaches are opting to stay with their current employers.
FC Bayern has asked Roger Schmidt after Thomas Tuchel’s rejection
— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) May 18, 2024
❇️ The answer of Schmidt was: No! He will stay at Benfica Lissabon
❇️ rejection number six for Bayern: No from Alonso, Nagelsmann, Rangnick, Glasner, Tuchel and now Schmidt
❇️ And also candidate De Zerbi won‘t go…
Sky Sports in Germany has also reported that Roberto De Zerbi will not become Bayern‘s next head coach. Brighton have already confirmed De Zerbi’s departure. Max Eberl reportedly held talks with De Zerbi in March, but he is no longer in contention to replace Thomas Tuchel. The return of Hansi Flick is no longer a viable option for Bayern.
It is quite astonishing that Bayern do not have a deal in place for the new coach despite the conclusion of the season. Since Bayern needed a squad overhaul in the summer, having a new coach in the building before the end of the campaign would have helped Max Eberl and Christoph Freund in planning transfers.
Nevertheless, Bayern will not get their top target for the head coach role. Eberl and Freund will have to hope the transfer business in the summer is not as erratic as the search for the new coach. The alarm bells will start ringing if Bayern do not have a new head coach before the end of May.