25 March 2023 , 15:49
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Thomas Tuchel has claimed he first spoke with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, three full days before his predecessor Julian Nagelsmann was sacked by the club.
Bayern moved quickly to confirm Tuchel as their new boss, with the former Borussia Dortmund boss brought on board in time to face his old club on April 1. Dortmund currently sit top of the Bundesliga, but Bayern can leapfrog them with a win in their next game.
Nagelsmann, who joined Bayern in 2021 after impressing with RB Leipzig, has already been linked with the Tottenham job as his next move. The 35-year-old was reportedly left "completely surprised" by the decision, which may have been made two full days before he learned of his exit.
“Things went quickly," Tuchel said upon being unveiled by Bayern. "The timing was surprising, I didn't expect it and there was no contact beforehand.
"I assumed that I would continue my career abroad. The first interview was on Tuesday evening”.
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The new manager's comments suggest comment was made before Nagelsmann was sacked, with the speed of movement speaking to the ruthlessness of Bayern's process. The previous manager had gone away on a skiing holiday with a view to gearing up his side for a treble push when he returned, but it turns out the defeat at Bayer Leverkusen in Bayern's last league game would be Nagelsmann's last in charge.
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Thomas Tuchel has been unveiled as Bayern Munich's new manager (AFP via Getty Images)
Nagelsmann oversaw a perfect record in the Champions League, despite a tough group including Inter Milan and Barcelona followed by a last-16 meeting with Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern will face Manchester City in the quarter-finals after the English club beat RB Leipzig 8-1 on aggregate.
Bayern are also into the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal, Germany's domestic cup, where they will host Freiburg. However, after a comfortable run to the league title last season, a return of just 18 points from 10 games since the turn of the year leaves things hanging in the balance.
"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," Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn said in a statement. "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."