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Thomas Tuchel will not return to Bayern Munich despite new contract talks: ‘We could not reach an agreement’
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The Bayern Munich saga is getting stranger and stranger. In another surprising twist, Thomas Tuchel will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the 2023/2024 season, as the two sides agreed in February. After the German giants failed in their attempts to hire a new coach for the upcoming season, the two sides sat down and discussed a possible contract extension again in recent weeks, but were unable to reach a conclusion to reach agreement.
It was Tuchel himself who announced his decision during his final press conference ahead of Saturday’s match against Hoffenheim. “This is my last press conference from Säbener Straße. Our agreement from February still stands. We recently discussed it again, but we did not reach an agreement,” he said.
“The feedback from recent weeks formed the basis for our conversation to move forward together, but we were unable to reach an agreement,” he added.
The two sides agreed last February to part ways at the end of the current season due to poor results in the league as Bayer Leverkusen won the 2023/24 Bundesliga title. Tuchel was surprisingly appointed as Julian Nagelsmann’s replacement in March 2023, just a few days before the Champions League quarter-finals against Manchester City. Later in the season, Bayern won an incredible Bundesliga title on the final matchday after Borussia Dortmund’s draw against Mainz at home. Despite the success, the club decided to part ways with both CEO Oliver Khan and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
During the 2023/24 season, Bayern struggled throughout the season, which resulted in their first Bundesliga title in twelve years and they were eliminated by Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The successful European campaign led the club to reconsider their decision on Tuchel, but ultimately, as with the negotiations with Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick before him, the two sides were unable to reach a deal over the line.
Tuchel, who has a contract until the summer of 2025, will now look at other options and perhaps try to return to the Premier League, while Bayern must find another manager as soon as possible. The names of Erik ten Hag and Roberto De Zerbi are currently still among the options.
