Thomas Tuchel has been tipped to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly ruled departing Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel out of the running to become the next Manchester United boss after major fears of his management style came to light.
The 50-year-old will leave the German giants at the end of the season and just over a year into his tenure after overseeing what has been a disappointing stint at the helm so far. And despite steering Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga crown last season – the club’s 11th-successive triumph – a major drop-off in results this season has seen them fall 11 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen ahead of Saturday evening’s clash against RB Leipzig.
Despite their difficulties this season, Tuchel’s stock remains high, having steered his previous club Chelsea to Champions League glory back in 2021 and having also taken PSG to the final a year before.
As a result, the former Borussia Dortmund coach is not expected to be out of work for long and will likely take another top role before too long.
Per reports earlier this week, the German is reportedly determined to return to the Premier League, having enjoyed plenty of success during his time at Stamford Bridge and amid claims he still harbours plenty of regrets over the way his tenure was brought to an end by co-owner Todd Boehly.
As a result, reports have claimed that Tuchel has already earmarked the Manchester United job as a possible route back into elite management and amid claims Erik ten Hag – despite the club’s recent revival – will face the sack this summer if the club fail to secure a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League.
Reasons why Thomas Tuchel won’t become next Man Utd boss revealed
In light of that, it’s claimed that Ratcliffe, alongside Dave Brailsford, who is helping conduct a thorough review of United’s sporting operations, and incoming new sporting director Dan Ashworth, the club are drawing up a list of potential candidates to steer the club through those early years of the INEOS era and should the axe fall on Ten Hag.
Indeed, like any well-run club, the British billionare understands the importance of having a succession plan in place.
However, reports on Saturday claim that prospective list has seen Ratcliffe and Co scrub Tuchel’s name off their list and officially out of the running.
That’s according to the Independent, who feel Tuchel has a ‘difficult aim’ of becoming the potential successor to Ten Hag with his chances of taking the top job at Manchester United ‘slim’.
Citing the final months of his Stamford Bridge era, Tuchel clashes with Boehly over their perceived plan to try and sign Cristiano Ronaldo, voicing his direct concerns to the board over their ambitions.
And in a further setback, the Independent also claims there are ‘concerns’ over Tuchel’s management style and amid suggestions he has a tendency to rub players up the wrong way. To that end, it’s alleged that Tuchel also recently fell out with Joshua Kimmich, with the star frozen out of his plans and amid reports the defensive midfielder wants to leave this summer.
West Ham have also been touted as a possible destination for Tuchel, though BILD claims that his love for Chelsea means he would strongly oppose taking up another management role in London.
Barcelona a strong option for former Chelsea boss
However, the managerial merry-go-round set to ensue this summer means Tuchel is unlikely to have long to wait to land his next big role.
Another major job coming up for grabs is at Barcelona, who will wave farewell to club legend Xavi at the end of the season.
They have been linked with a move for another former Bayern coach in Hansi Flick, though reports of late have now suggested Tuchel could be in the running for the Nou Camp hotseat.
Tuchel himself has also talked up LaLiga as a product amid suggestions he would more than welcome the chance to coach the Blaugrana.
“Sure Spain, it’s an extraordinary league. From an early age it’s all about playing the game with the ball. To be as good as possible on the ball,” Tuchel recently said.
“We always try to play with the ball as much as possible and not play 0-0 for as long as possible. It’s a completely different way of looking at the sport, which is why they’re so successful.”
Tuchel currently has won 28 of his 44 matches in charge of Bayern, giving him a 63.64 win percentage ratio. However, that falls some way short of his predecessor, Julian Nagelsmann, who departed with 71.43%.
