According to multiple reports in the German press today, Thomas Tuchel has turned down the chance to manage Bayern Munich, amidst speculation he could succeed Arsene Wenger at Arsenal instead.
According to Bild, one of Germany’s leading newspapers, Tuchel, who left Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, passed up the opportunity to lead the Bavarian giants because he already has an agreement in place to lead another major club outside of Deutschland.
German football legend Lothar Matthaus told Bild: “He’s in contact with Arsenal.”
Current Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes plans to retire at the end of this season, as the 72-year-old took over from Carlo Ancelotti in September. However, Heynckes has also refused to completely rule out the opportunity of coming back next season.
Meanwhile, Wenger still remains under contract for another season, amidst immense unpopularity with the supporter base and a strong grassroots movement to see him replaced.
With Arsenal languishing in sixth place this season, their only hopes for reaching UEFA Champions League next season ride on the Gunners ability to win the Europa League tournament. Wenger may need to claim that trophy in order to save his job for another year. Of course, the possibility of Tuchel going to Arsenal is more complicated than at first glance because it’s dependent on a manager musical chairs/domino theory at work.
While Suddeutsche Zeitung and Sport1 also both report that Tuchel isn’t going to Bayern, he could be headed to Paris Saint-Germain, who reportedly will not retain the services of Unai Emery, or Chelsea.
PSG are reportedly talking to current Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, which means that the Stamford Bridge gig could be opening up. Additionally, the man Tuchel replaced, Ancelotti, has been linked to the Chelsea and PSG jobs as well.
In other words, there’s a ton of hypotheticals and contingencies that should make for an interesting managerial merry-go-round this summer.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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