Bayern Munich sack Julian Nagelsmann and appoint Thomas Tuchel

Julian Nagelsmann has been sacked by Bayern Munich, with Thomas Tuchel confirmed as his successor.

The Bundesliga champions are struggling domestically this season and lie second behind Borussia Dortmund.

Nagelsmann, who has not been at the training ground this week, is understood to have lost his job because the team has gone backwards in the league and the hierarchy have not seen enough player development.

Players and bosses at Bayern were also surprised to see that the 35-year-old was on a skiing holiday this week at such a pivotal time as they feel it sends the wrong signal, according to Sky in Germany’s Florian Plettenberg.

Tuchel has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in September under the new ownership of Todd Boehly.

The 49-year-old, who has been living in Munich for some weeks, has previously managed Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern’s players were already aware earlier in the week that Tuchel would be their new manager.

The former Chelsea boss is expected to take his opening training session on Monday with his first game set to be against former club Dortmund, who sit top of the table, on April 1.

Tuchel convinced the Bayern hierarchy with his plans for the club and his track-record of managing high-profile players like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Tuchel has been highly sought after since departing Chelsea.

The German club have won 10 consecutive Bundesliga titles and they face Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals next month.

The tie sees Pep Guardiola take on his former side with the winners set to face Real Madrid or Chelsea for a place in the final.

But Bayern’s poor Bundesliga form has left the club feeling the need to act to avoid losing their crown.

Nagelsmann won 60 of his 84 games in charge since taking over in July 2021 but has lifted just one Bundesliga trophy and two German Super Cups across his tenure.

Bayern lost 2-1 against Bayer Leverkusen before the international break and host Dortmund in Der Klassiker when they return to domestic action. They would slip four points behind Edin Terzic’s side if they were beaten.

CEO Oliver Kahn told the club website: “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.

“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.”

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