7 candidates to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich: Former Man Utd boss, Liverpool icon

Thomas Tuchel is set to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season and a number of high-profile managers are already being linked with the job.

While the German champions have fallen below expectations this season, the Bayern Munich job is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious positions in European football.

As things stand, Bayern find themselves eight points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the race for the Bundesliga title, having lost their last two matches.

Given Bayern’s underperformance in the league of late, the news that Tuchel is set to step down at the end of the campaign won’t come as a massive surprise.

We’ve taken a closer look at the Bayern Munich job and have identified seven candidates who could replace Tuchel.

Xabi Alonso

It seems as if there’s going to be a tug-of-war over the Bayer Leverkusen boss this summer. Alonso’s reputation has grown immensely over the last 12 months and he’d no doubt make an ideal replacement for Tuchel.

Bayern Munich have a history of cherry-picking the best Bundesliga coaches and Alonso would certainly fit that bill. With the style of play he’s quickly managed to implement and the results he’s delivered, he seems like the obvious choice.

According to Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg, Bayern regards Alonso as the ‘absolute top candidate’ to replace Tuchel.

However, they will face some stiff competition from Liverpool. The Reds see Alonso as Jurgen Klopp’s ideal successor and they are keen to lure him to Anfield in the summer. With both clubs battling for his signature, Alonso will be left with a big decision to make.

Hansi Flick

His time in charge of the German national side didn’t go to plan, but Flick could be tempted by a return to the Allianz Arena.

The 58-year-old spent just a year and a half in charge of the German club and managed to win seven trophies during that time, including the Champions League.

Barcelona have been among the clubs monitoring the German manager as they go in search of a Xavi replacement, but a return to his former club isn’t out of the question. Watch this space.

Jurgen Klopp

While the Liverpool boss has stressed that he will be taking a break at the end of the season, the Bayern Munich job isn’t a position that comes up too often.

Of course, Klopp has close ties with Borussia Dortmund, but that’s not stopped several other coaches from making the jump to Bayern in the past.

Klopp’s heavy metal football would be brilliant at the Allianz Arena and the majority of that squad would no doubt relish the chance of working with the Liverpool boss.

While it seems more than likely that he will be taking some time away from the game in the summer, you can never say never in football.

Jose Mourinho

Having recently lost his job at Roma, Mourinho is available and on the market. It’s been a while since he last took charge of a European juggernaut, but the idea of the Portuguese boss in the Bayern hot seat would make for box-office viewing.

During a recent interview with FIVE, Mourinho stressed that he is eager to get back into the game as soon as possible.

“I was having lunch with my friends and people that works with me and we were in the lift. I was telling the guys if I can work tomorrow, I work tomorrow,” Mourinho said.

“I don’t enjoy any day without work. I don’t understand, I’m sorry guys. But I don’t understand people that speak about sabbatical time.”

Roberto De Zerbi

From Barcelona to Liverpool, plenty of big sides have been monitoring the Brighton boss. De Zerbi has done a tremendous job since his arrival in England and it’s no surprise that so many big sides are being linked with him.

Bayern Munich could consider an approach for the Italian boss and beat some of the competition to his signature. While the speculation surrounding De Zerbi’s future has been rife, he is very much keeping his feet on the ground at this stage.

“When I hear the big teams are interested in me, it’s an honor, but my focus is on my work day by day,” he told Sky Sports.

“About the future? I want to compete in the best way I can, I want to understand the plan and then it’s not a problem to work at a big team. I would like in my career to compete to win the Premier League, Serie A, the, Bundesliga, Champions league – but there isn’t a time when have to go.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

A left-field choice, but one that has been rumoured in recent days. The former Man Utd boss has been out of work since leaving Old Trafford in 2021, but he has been linked with the Bayern vacancy.

As per Plettenberg of Sky Germany, the Bundesliga giants have been ‘monitoring’ Solskjaer. It seems like Bayern have considered Solskjaer on a interim basis, but with Tuchel set to stay on for the remainder of the season, this now seems unlikely.

Zinedine Zidane

The Frenchman has been out of the limelight for quite some time, but could the Bayern Munich job tempt him back into the dugout?

Zidane did an unbelievable job during his two stints as Real Madrid boss as he won 10 trophies, including three Champions League titles.

The 51-year-old seems to do his best work when working with high-profile stars and so he would be tailor-made for the Bayern job. It remains to be seen if the Frenchman will be tempted back into the game.

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