Nearly a week after Julian Nagelsmann’s refusal to join FC Bayern, the topic is still being discussed. According to Sport Bild, the Munich bosses now harbor a serious suspicion against the former coach.
It appears he may have exploited Bayern’s interest merely to position himself more favorably with the German Football Association (DFB).
The discussions between the Bayern bosses and coach Julian Nagelsmann were well advanced, but in the end, the national coach announced his contract extension with the DFB until 2026.
According to Sport Bild, the Bayern officials view Nagelsmann and his management’s approach as retaliation for the club’s separation from the former Bayern coach in March 2023.
A statement from Nagelsmann’s advisor in a podcast surprised the Bayern bosses. At that time, Nagelsmann was abruptly dismissed by the former CEO Oliver Kahn and the previous sports director Hasan Salihamidzic in a covert operation, catching him completely off guard.
However, this time it was the Bayern bosses who were taken by surprise by Nagelsmann’s camp’s actions. On the day of Bayern’s crucial second-leg match in the quarterfinals against FC Arsenal (1:0), Nagelsmann’s advisor Volker Struth spoke in a self-produced podcast about the negotiations with his client. He announced that a decision would be made in the next “five, six, or seven days.”
The press release with Struth’s statements came out exactly at 10:58 PM, practically coinciding with the final whistle of the Bayern game. In the interview area of the Allianz Arena, the Bayern officials, including sports director Max Eberl, were completely taken aback by Struth’s quotes.
According to Sport Bild, it became instantly clear to the bosses: If Nagelsmann’s side were serious about a return to Munich, such details of the negotiations would not have been made public.
Bosses suspect bad faith: Was Nagelsmann’s interest merely retaliatory?
According to the report, the suspicion was that Nagelsmann’s side only used Bayern’s interest to position themselves better in negotiations with the DFB about an extension.
This seems to be exactly what happened: Negotiations with the DFB were resumed on the Thursday after the Bayern game against Arsenal, and on Friday, Nagelsmann’s extension until after the 2026 World Cup was publicly announced.
As a result, this time Nagelsmann caught Bayern unprepared – and Munich must continue searching for a new coach.
