Soccer

Bayern join Liverpool in chasing Xabi Alonso with Thomas Tuchel to leave in summer

Jürgen Klopp’s agent dismisses prospect his client could be tempted by the Bayern vacancy

Thomas Tuchel will step down as Bayern Munich manager at the end of the season. Photograph: Lars Baron/Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel will step down as Bayern Munich manager at the end of the season. Photograph: Lars Baron/Getty Images
Jacob Steinberg
Fabrizio Romano
Wed Feb 21 2024 - 13:05

Bayern Munich will rival Liverpool in pushing to appoint Xabi Alonso as their manager after the Bundesliga champions agreed to part ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season.

Bayern’s announcement on Tuchel’s future follows a dismal series of results. They will hold discussions over Alonso, whose transformation of Bayer Leverkusen has made him a target for Liverpool, where a vacancy is also pending this summer with Jürgen Klopp stepping down.

There is no release clause in Alonso’s contract but he will be allowed to leave if he decides to pursue a new challenge. Alonso played for Liverpool and Bayern, finishing his career at the German club in 2017.

Tuchel, appointed by Bayern last March on a contract to 2025, has been under increasing pressure with the team eight points behind Leverkusen, the Bundesliga leaders, and trailing 1-0 to Lazio in their Champions League last-16 tie after the first leg in Rome.

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Bayern’s 3-0 loss at Leverkusen two week ago began a sequence of three defeats, with the game at Lazio preceding last Sunday’s 3-2 reverse at Bochum. After the Bochum game, Joshua Kimmich, who had been substituted, had to be pulled apart from Tuchel’s assistant Zsolt Löw as they argued.

Tuchel took over from Julian Nagelsmann and secured Bayern’s 11th consecutive Bundesliga title on a dramatic final day of last season. Harry Kane was the keynote summer signing and although he has scored 25 league goals, the team have failed to function as expected.

Klopp’s agent, Marc Kosicke, dismissed the prospect his client could be tempted by the Bayern vacancy, telling Sky Sports Germany that Klopp would stick with a plan to take a year’s sabbatical.

Bayern said Tuchel’s summer departure had been settled upon after the manager held talks with the chief executive, Jan-Christian Dreesen. “We have agreed that we will end our working relationship at the end of this season,” Tuchel said. “Until then, I will of course continue to do everything I can with my coaching staff to achieve maximum success.”

Dreesen said: “In a good, open discussion, we came to the decision to end our working relationship by mutual agreement in the summer. Our goal is to pursue a new footballing direction with a new head coach for the 2024-25 season. Until then, every individual at the club is expressly called upon to achieve the maximum possible in the Champions League and Bundesliga.

“I also explicitly hold the team accountable in this regard. In the Champions League in particular, after losing 1- 0 in the first leg at Lazio, we are convinced we will reach the quarter-finals at a packed Allianz Arena with our fans behind us.” That second leg is on March 5th. – Guardian