Around a year after his release, Julian Nagelsmann is apparently about to return to Munich. Former FCB boss Kahn is now talking about the separation at the time.
Munich – The clocks at FC Bayern never stand still. In addition to the sporting focus that the club has always attracted worldwide, things have often been chaotic internally in the past. It's not for nothing that the German record champions are nicknamed 'FC Hollywood'.
Things are likely to have been particularly turbulent on Säbener Strasse in the days before and after March 23, 2023. On the evening of that day, news leaked to the public that FC Bayern had quickly decided to dismiss coach Julian Nagelsmann. The official confirmation followed the next day. A good year later, ex-FCB board member Oliver Kahn, who, together with Hasan Salihamidžić, pulled the strings when Nagelsmann was fired, speaks about the measure, which in retrospect is controversial.
Kahn talks about Nagelsmann's dismissal
“You always have to see decisions in the temporal context in which they were made,” remembers Kahn in an interview with
Sport Bild
. “We saw our sporting success at risk at the time and therefore made this decision, which was definitely not an easy one.”
Even back then, Nagelsmann's leave of absence provoked an echo of criticism in many places. After all, FC Bayern still had a chance of winning the title in all three competitions at that time. Although Borussia Dortmund took the lead in the league, Bayern had just knocked Paris St.-Germain out of the round of 16 in the Champions League (1-0 in the first leg, 2-0 in the second leg).
Bayern secured their eleventh championship in a row under Tuchel – on the last matchday of the season
“We weren't able to win three titles, but we still became German champions,” argues Kahn in an interview with
Sport Bild
. Under the new coach Thomas Tuchel, who will have to step down next summer, the Munich team only secured their eleventh championship in a row on the last match day.
Whether the decision to replace Nagelsmann with Tuchel in the middle of the season made sense from a sporting perspective is at least debatable. However, it seems undisputed that the process surrounding the dismissal of the current German national coach was unfortunate, to say the least. Kahn sees it that way too.
Kahn on Nagelsmann's exit: "It didn't go well, and that's still bothering me today"
“I have often said that I thought it was really bad how this decision was implemented,” said the 54-year-old, a year after Nagelsmann's departure. “It didn't go well, and that's still bothering me today.” Bavaria's honorary president Uli Hoeneß also described Nagelsmann's expulsion as a mistake afterwards.
However, as we all know, football is a fast-moving business and there are now many indications that Nagelsmann could return to FC Bayern around a year after his release.
Nagelsmann's comeback at FC Bayern? “Why shouldn’t he return one day?”
“Why shouldn’t he return one day after he’s had more experience?” says Kahn in the
Sport-Bild
interview. “That was the case with some Bayern coaches, especially Jupp Heynckes, but also Giovanni Trapattoni and Ottmar Hitzfeld, who, however, returned to Bayern Munich at a more mature age.”
According to his advisor Volker Struth, Nagelsmann's final decision is expected in the coming days. With Tuchel still in charge, Bayern were able to secure a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday.
(kus)