The news did not surprise anyone, or almost anyone: Thomas Tuchel announced that he will not continue to lead Bayern Munich when the 2024/2024 season ends. Three consecutive defeats and “barely” second place in the Bundesliga were too much to continue normally in one of the most powerful teams on the planet.
As expected, the name dance has already begun to see who will be the next coach of the Bavarians when the new season begins. Below, we rank the potential candidates:
Former Manchester United manager Solskjaer has been linked with the role on an interim basis. The Norwegian served as United's caretaker following Jose Mourinho's sacking at the end of 2018, eventually landing a permanent role.
Solskjaer was constantly written off at Old Trafford, but his tenure looks even more impressive in retrospect. His United team was reactive and tactically disappointing, but he was able to balance a team laden with egos and guide the club to some of its most successful seasons in a post-Fergie world.
As caretaker, Solskjaer certainly wouldn't be a bad option, but it's hard to imagine him steering the ship at Bayern – given his lack of links to the club – in the long term.
Probability: 3/10
Harry Kane will surely welcome Conte's arrival given how well he performed under the Italian at Tottenham. However, the rest of the Bayern squad may not be very happy.
Still, Conte is a coach Bayern's former teams would certainly have appreciated given his tactical acumen and meticulous attention to detail.
The coach's ego is built for a club of Die Roten's magnitude, and Bayern could enjoy short-term success with the Italian in year one. It will be intriguing to see how Conte's pragmatic and very Italian ideals translate to the space paradise of the Bundesliga.
This partnership could work wonders on the pitch, but Conte's relationship with a heavily involved Bayern hierarchy would surely explode at the first sign of adversity.
Probability: 4/10
Bayern are not against reunions, having named Jupp Heynckes 78 times and former Germany coach Flick is considered a possibility for the Bavarians.
Flick stepped in midway through the 2019/20 season following the departure of Niko Kovac and guided the club to a stunning treble. His Bayern team was sensational; one transformed by simple but effective principles that were symbolic of the great club.
This Bayern team is neither as coherent nor as collectively talented as Flick's all-conquering iteration, but the former coach has the know-how to squeeze everything out of this failing team.
However, Barcelona's interest in the German coach could prevent Bayern from a reunion.
Probability: 5/10
Some might criticize nepotism if Hoeneß got the job, but his work at Stuttgart means Bayern are considering him on his merits.
Hoeneß, nephew of former Bayern player and honorary president Uli, has done wonders in the southwest, coaching Bayern's under-19s and reserves.
His two years at Hoffenheim were stable, if not fascinating, but included a resounding 4-1 thrashing of Bayern in September 2020. In Stuttgart, Hoeness has transformed a team that was on the brink of relegation last season into potential participants of the Champions League next season.
Tactically versatile and with his Bayern connections deep, Hoeness is an underrated candidate for the German giants.
Probability: 6/10
Zinedine Zidane at Bayern is starting to gain a lot of ground. The Frenchman has been out of work since he left Real Madrid for the second time in 2021.
Thomas Müller recently hinted at his desire to move away from the strict principles of positional play that were once worshiped in Munich while Pep Guardiola was in town. Well, Zidane will surely facilitate that.
While subtly impressive, Zidane is neither an innovator nor a tactical wizard like Nagelsmann and Tuchel. His brilliance lies in the aspects of management that often go unnoticed when evaluated by outsiders.
He had an incredible team in Madrid during their three consecutive Champions League wins, but it wasn't mere talent that carried Los Blancos over the finish line. Zidane's serenity and his ability to tame egos allowed his Madrid team to reach unprecedented heights.
Probability: 7/10
This would be Bayern Munich's greatest move.
The German giants have typically signed the best football talent the Bundesliga has to offer to contribute to their perpetual success. Awarding the league's brightest managerial prospect, the one who appears poised to end his 11-year reign at the top, would be poaching of the highest degree.
Alonso's Leverkusen is stellar. The recent 3-0 thrashing of Bayern captured his magnificence and the Spaniard's tactical acumen. He completely outwitted Tuchel, who admitted his inferiority in matching Leverkusen's 3-4-3 after having deployed a 4-2-3-1 throughout the campaign.
The former Bayern midfielder is being seriously considered by the Bavarians and it seems that in the coming months he will begin a duel with Liverpool
for the services of Alonso. It would be great for the Bundesliga if Alonso avoided Bayern's pull, but you can never bet against Bayern in situations like this. They usually end up with what they want.
Probability: 8/10
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