Bayern Munich are in grave danger of missing out on the Bundesliga title for the first time in over a decade, and as a result, Thomas Tuchel's days at the Allianz Arena appear numbered.
The reigning champions find themselves a whopping eight points behind Xabi Alonso's high-flying Bayer Leverkusen with only 12 rounds left following Sunday's shocking defeat away to VFL Bochum.
Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane got on the scoresheet but that was not enough, as profligacy in front of the goal, another Dayot Upamecano sending-off, and poor defending led to a 3-2 loss over the weekend.
Thomas Tuchel's future at the club has thus come under question, with the Bayern Munich board reportedly preparing for life after the former Chelsea tactician. This is according to the Athletic, with their German football expert Raphael Honigstein writing that while the European giants continue to back their manager publicly, behind the scenes they are already exploring potential replacements.
One of the names mentioned by the Athletic is Hansi Flick, the former Bayern Munich manager who led the club to the sextuple in 2020. The 58-year-old is currently unemployed, thus making him an attainable target, and is no stranger to a mid-season Allianz Arena appointment, having replaced Niko Kovac during the 2019-20 campaign en route to winning the sextuple.
One thing to note is that Flick is a target for Barcelona due to Xavi Hernandez's upcoming departure at the end of this season. The German might not be their no.1 choice, however, with recent reports out of Spain claiming the Blaugrana favor Brighton's Roberto de Zerbi.
That is not the only obstacle in Bayern Munich's way, it should be stated. The return of Flick would lead to expectations of a repeat of his 2020 exploits but the Bavarians doubt whether he can pull this off.
Hansi infamously left the Bundesliga heavyweights for the German national team but flopped miserably before ultimately being sacked in late 2023, thus making him the first manager to be fired by the four-time FIFA World Cup winners since the inception of the role in 1926.
Fortunately for Tuchel, die Roten currently prefers to persevere with their current boss. However, this does not mean the future bodes well for Thomas as the club will use the rest of the season to search for a big-name manager to step in this summer in time for the 2024-25 season.
Bayern Munich's "dream candidate" is — surprise, surprise — Xabi Alonso, the mastermind behind Bayer Leverkusen's outstanding title push this term. The Spaniard is already garnering interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs despite having only been in first-team management for just over a year.
Alonso's future at the BayArena remains uncertain. Leverkusen wish to keep ahold of the Basque tactician but he is on the radar of Liverpool as well, with the Merseyside giants searching for Jurgen Klopp's successor ahead of the German's Anfield departure this summer. Real Madrid, one of Alonso's former clubs, are also said to be keeping tabs on the iconic midfielder.
