Bayern sack Nagelsmann for playing ‘less attractive football’, appoint Tuchel

Bayern Munich parted company with Julian Nagelsmann, their manager, with immediate effect on Friday.

Nagelsmann’s shocking dismissal was announced by the club via its website.

The German club also announced the immediate appointment of Thomas Tuchel as Nagelsmann’s replacement.

Tuchel, the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach, signed a two-and-half years contract that will run until June 2025.

“FC Bayern München has released head coach Julian Nagelsmann. This decision was taken by CEO Oliver Kahn and board member for sport Hasan Salihamidžić in consultation with club president Herbert Hainer,” the statement reads.

“Nagelsmann will be succeeded by Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel will receive a contract until 30 June 2025 and will supervise squad training for the first time on Monday.”

Speaking about the shocking development, Kahn said the quality in the squad is not being harnessed effectively as the club would have liked, hence the termination of the young coach’s contract.

The Bayern CEO also said, “after the World Cup, we have played less successfully and less attractively”.

“When we signed Julian Nagelsmann for FC Bayern in the summer of 2021, we were convinced we would work with him on a long-term basis – and that was the goal of all of us right up to the end,” he said.

“Julian shares our aspiration to play successful and attractive football. But now we have come to the conclusion that the quality in our squad – despite the Bundesliga title last year – has come to the fore less and less often.

“After the World Cup, we have played less successfully and less attractively. The big fluctuations in performance have cast doubt on our goals for this season, but also our goals for the future.

“That is why we have acted now. Personally and on behalf of FC Bayern, I would like to thank Julian and his coaching team, and wish everyone the best of luck for the future.”

Thomas Tuchel, the 49-year-old former Borussia Dortmund coach, recently won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, defeating Pep Guardiola’s Man City in the process.

His first task would be to repeat the trick against the same opponent and manager in the quarter-final of the same competition in what will be his first European games as manager of Bayern Munich.

The German side has won the last 10 Bundesliga titles.

The club, however, sits second in the table this season — one point behind leaders Borussia Dortmund.