When Julian Nagelsmann ruled himself out of the running for the Bayern Munich job on Friday, it will have given the board a huge headache.
It’s believed that the current German national team manager had already discussed terms with the Bavarian giants, but he opted to stay where he is, throwing the process to replace Thomas Tuchel into disarray.
After the season that Bayern have had, it was just another punch to the ribs.
With the end of the season just a few weeks away, the club will once again have to trawl through their list of contacts in order to determine who is still interested in the position, given that they’ll be seen as a second choice after Nagelsmann.
Zidane talks with Bayern confirmed
It’s imperative that the board get their business concluded quickly, in order that the new incumbent can get to work as soon as the 2023/24 campaign has concluded.
That will be of obvious benefit given that any new signings will want to understand who they’ll be working for, their ambition and ideas for the project etc.
One name that has already been bandied around on social media is former Real Madrid legend, Zinedine Zidane, and Fabrizio Romano, talking to CaughtOffisde for his exclusive Daily Briefing, admitted the Frenchman had been discussed.
“Sticking with Bayern, well guys, they will discuss internally again about the manager’s position after Nagelsmann’s refusal, waiting to understand who will be the new front runner for the job,” he said.
“There are a few names in the frame and it’s true that Zinedine Zidane has been discussed internally as an option.
“There was a meeting to discuss managers and Zidane was mentioned, but it was weeks ago, nothing concrete since then.”
Clearly, it’s going to take a special job to tempt Zidane back onto the bench at any club, and being the man to take a poor Bayern side and give them renewed determination, particularly in the Bundesliga, may well appeal.
Given that Romano notes that no talks have taken place recently, however, that could suggest Zidane was never a concrete option for the position.
Whether he’s in or out, it’s in everyone’s best interests for there to be some clarification on the up to date situation.
It’s difficult to imagine Zidane on any other bench than Real Madrid’s, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll continue to remain in the shadows – especially if Bayern can present him with a real challenge.
