Matthäus thinks Bayern should bring Nagelsmann back
Lothar Matthäus believes Julian Nagelsmann is the best candidate to succeed Thomas Tuchel as Bayern Munich coach.
With Thomas Tuchel stepping down at the end of the season, Bayern Munich are currently looking for a new coach.
One of the candidates is said to be current Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, who served as Bayern's coach from July 2021 until March 2023, when he was sacked out of the blue and replaced with Tuchel.
Although a return would be controversial, Matthäus believes Bayern would be wise to bring back the 36-year-old should he be interested after his short-term contract with the German Football Association expires after this summer's European Championship.
"I think he's the best of all the candidates on the market. He knows the club, he has often played very attractive football. He was sacked when all three titles were still possible. And when he had to go, the title race was still exciting and they weren't an embarrassing 13 points behind the leaders. That's nothing against Thomas Tuchel. But there were far too many bad games and inexplicable defeats under his leadership. And he rarely got the team to play exciting and attractive football," Matthäus wrote in a column for Sky Germany.
"Under the current circumstances, Nagelsmann's return could be really good. One thing should not be forgotten. The young coach, who was even younger back then, was often left alone and unsupported by the club's management. There was an annual general meeting that got out of hand and the coach, who was in his mid-30s, had to take a stand. He was supposed to be coaching the team, not acting like the foreign minister.
I believe that Max Eberl, Christoph Freund, Dreesen, Hainer, Hoeness and Rummenigge can offer coach Nagelsmann a much stronger shield than he was used to back then. This club has to get back to the point where everyone fully identifies with the club, gives everything they've got and is really up for the job. The new season must finally put an end to the second round exits in the DFB Pokal, the embarrassments in the Bundesliga every few weeks, and the Champions League exits against small clubs," Matthäus stated.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick and Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi, among others, have also been linked with the job.