Former Munich CEO Oliver Kahn can well imagine coach Julian Nagelsmann returning to FC Bayern.
“Why shouldn’t he return to FC Bayern one day after gaining more experience? That has been the case with several Bayern coaches, most notably Jupp Heynckes, but also Giovanni Trapattoni and Ottmar Hitzfeld, who returned to Bayern Munich at a more mature age,” Kahn said in a recent interview with Sport Bild.
Nagelsmann is currently the national coach and has a contract until after the European Championship this summer. However, his name is frequently mentioned when discussing the successor to Thomas Tuchel at FC Bayern.
The German football record champions have agreed with Tuchel to end his contract, originally set until the end of June 2025, this summer.
“It says a lot when one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe, who has led a team filled with difficult stars to the Champions League final in Paris and won the Champions League with Chelsea, struggles with so many difficulties in Munich,” Kahn said about Tuchel.
Last weekend, Bayern Munich was dethroned early by Bayer Leverkusen after eleven consecutive championships.
Kahn, a former goalkeeper for Munich, was the CEO of FC Bayern from the summer of 2021 for nearly two years. During his tenure, the premature separation from Nagelsmann in March 2023 occurred. Tuchel then became his successor. The decision to part ways with the coach still weighs on Kahn.
“We saw the sporting success at risk at that time and therefore made this certainly difficult decision. Although we couldn’t win three titles, we still managed to become the German champions,” Kahn shared. “I have often said that I was very unhappy with how this decision was implemented. It did not go well, and it still troubles me today.”
