Former Man Utd boss on Bayern Munich shortlist as three candidates emerge following Alonso snub

Ben Stewart 02 Apr 2024 9:27 PM

Ralf Rangnick is among the contenders to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern.

A former Manchester United manager is in contention to be the next Bayern Munich boss as the German club have drafted a shortlist to replace Thomas Tuchel.

In February, Bayern Munich announced that Tuchel will be leaving the club at the end of the season. While Xabi Alonso quickly emerged as the top target for Bayern, he’s been quick to rule himself out of the race.

With Bayer Leverkusen doing so well in the Bundesliga, the Spanish coach has decided to stay and snub the advances of Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the process.

“I had a good meeting with Bayer Leverkusen and I informed them that I will stay and continue at the club. After lot of talks about my future, I used the break to reflect and make my decision. This is the place to be for me,” Alonso said.

“My job at Bayer is not over. I want to help the club, help the players to develop, the board is great… it’s all fantastic here. I’m still [a] young coach but I think this is the best decision for my future. I took my time and I’m sure about that.

“I’m not gonna comment about Liverpool or Bayern. These are big clubs and I’ve strong links with them but I’m in the place where I want to be. It’s not time to decide my future now, I want to develop at Bayer Leverkusen.”

With Alonso seemingly not interested in the Bayern Munich job at this moment in time, the club has been forced to consider a number of alternative coaches for the role.

Former Man Utd boss is on Bayern Munich’s shortlist

According to Sky Sports Deutschland expert Florian Plettenberg, former Man Utd boss Ralf Rangnick is one of the candidates that Bayern Munich club officials have met with.

The reporter claims that Rangnick is one of the names on the Bayern shortlist to replace Tuchel along with Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann and Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

It’s fair to say that Rangnick’s stint in the Premier League didn’t go to plan as he only won 11 of the 29 games that he took charge of.

However, his reputation within German football remains untainted. Since leaving Old Trafford, Rangnick has been the manager of the Austria national team.

Plettenberg took to X to explain that while Bayern ‘values’ Rangnick, both Nagelsmann and De Zerbi are the ‘top candidates’ at this moment in time.

It’s understood that Nagelsmann is open to returning to Bayern ‘under certain circumstances’ and De Zerbi ‘believes he’s up for the challenge’ at the Allianz Arena.

While Nagelsmann’s previous spell with Bayern ended on a rather sour note, there could still be a feeling of unfinished business for the 36-year-old.

In terms of De Zerbi, he’s being linked with plenty of the top European jobs right now. Along with Bayern being keen on him, the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona are also keeping tabs.

Bayern Munich Xabi Alonso Julian Nagelsmann Ralf Rangnick Roberto De Zerbi