Bayern Munich identify Real Madrid target as Thomas Tuchel replacement - Reports
Defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are reportedly targeting club legend Xabi Alonso to take over from current manager Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season, reports Relevo journalist Jorge Picón. Tuchel, who is just 10 months into his tenure at the club, has failed to convince.
Xabi Alonso, who was also linked to Real Madrid, is now the primary managerial target for the Bayern Munich board that has had a long history of covertly nabbing the top talents and managers of their archrivals in the Bundesliga.
Alonso, who is into his first ever season as a full-time top-flight coach, has been in high demand after leading his Bayer Leverkusen side to an unprecedented top spot in the Bundesliga with almost half the season done.
He has managed to get his star talents like Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong absolutely firing, while bringing in some top-quality signings like Alejandro Grimaldo and Victor Boniface. His additions have taken the league by storm and been linked with big-money moves to top clubs in Europe.
Real Madrid recently extended their coach Carlo Ancelotti’s contract, set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season, by 2 more years until 2026. They were highly rumoured to be going after Alonso’s services but decided to extend Ancelotti and therefore bowed out of the running.
Bayern Munich is set to take advantage of this and attempt to sign Alonso to replace Tuchel, who has really struggled to win trophies since taking over Bayern Munich, which has been a pre-requisite for job safety at the club, as seen in the past with Julian Nagelsmann and Niko Kovac getting the sack for under-par performances, even though Bayern have won Bundesliga titles every season since 2012.
They have lost to 3rd tier side FC Saarbrucken in the DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup final to RB Leipzig, as well as playing second fiddle to Leverkusen in the title race all season in contrast to their domination in seasons past. As a result, the replacement of Tuchel with Alonso seems imminent at Bayern Munich’s helm.
Bayern Munich targets defensive reinforcements in January
Bayern Munich have already made some youthful additions for next season in the form of Bryan Zaragoza from Granada and highly rated Aussie wonderkid Nestory Irankunda, but are looking to strengthen their current squad in the January transfer window. They intend to make a deep run in the Champions League and to defend their Bundesliga crown and need squad depth.
Reports suggest that Bayern have a verbal agreement with Spurs defender Eric Dier, and are also linked with Fulham duo Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Palhinha. With star defender Kim Min-Jae heading off on national duty for the AFC Asian Cup and recurring injury concerns for their other defensive starlet Matthijs de Ligt, Bayern need to secure the services of top quality defenders to have a fighting chance in all their competitions.