Thomas Tuchel eyes move to European giants after Bayern Munich exit is confirmed - Reports
Thomas Tuchel will leave Bayern Munich when the season ends, and the German manager is reportedly eyeing a move to Barcelona. This comes after a tough time for the club, who sit eight points behind Bundesliga leaders, Bayer Leverkusen.
With Tuchel's exit already announced by the Bavarian club, the manager is already looking for his next job, with eyes now on a switch to Spain. This is according to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, who revealed that Catalan giants Barca are also looking at the German tactician as their next manager.
Notably, Thomas Tuchel isn't the only manager whose departure has been announced midway through the season. Jurgen Klopp started the trend with Liverpool before Xavi Hernandez announced he would be leaving his role at Camp Nou.
Plettenberg revealed that Thomas Tuchel is quite open to the idea of moving to FC Barcelona, but he stands among other candidates for the job. The former Chelsea manager is said to like the club's DNA and has a deep interest in their youth academy La Masia.
The Sky Sports Germany reporter also revealed that Thomas Tuchel has had interactions with Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola, who are Barca legends. However, despite this interest, Tuchel is also considering a return to the Premier League.
Xavi and Deco clash over Barcelona's future direction
There seems to be tension at Barcelona with head coach Xavi and sporting director Deco not seeing eye to eye when it comes to the future of the club. Deco made some remarks in an interview, suggesting that there were plans to move away from the Blaugrana's traditional playing style.
Speaking with Nascer do Sol, Deco explained that he had president Joan Laporta's backing to change things up (via Get Football News Spain):
“A radical change is needed. There is a method that is finished. The President is with me. We need to find someone who breaks up with the past once and for all and move towards a new model.”
After leading the club to a 3-3 draw with Granada, Xavi responded to these comments, making it clear that he was not leaving the traditional Blaugrana style of play. The manager said (via OneFootball):
“Where did he say that?. He doesn’t say that to me. He tells me that he believes in the Barca DNA and style. I can’t say anything else.”
It is uncertain if the disagreement could lead to bigger issues at Camp Nou, as Deco does not seem to have communicated his desire for change to Xavi. However, with his exit looming in the summer, Deco may soon be having these conversations with Thomas Tuchel instead.