Bayern Munich have opened talks with Hansi Flick regarding the possibility of him becoming the club’s next head coach.
Flick, 59, previously managed Bayern for two years between 2019 and 2021, winning the Champions League and back-to-back Bundesliga titles before taking over as Germany’s national team head coach for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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It was announced in February that Thomas Tuchel would step down at the end of the season having been appointed in March last year on a contract through to 2025.
Bayern have now begun discussions with Flick in the hope of bringing the former Germany head coach back to the Allianz Arena for a second spell.
The club have so far been unsuccessful in approaches for a number of potential candidates.
Xabi Alonso would have been of interest but he announced he would remain at Bayer Leverkusen next season after leading the club to their first Bundesliga title.
Julian Nagelsmann — who was sacked by Bayern in February last year — was linked with a return but opted to extend his contract and remain head coach of the German national team.
The Athletic reported in March that Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was of interest, too, but the Spaniard opted to remain in England and extend his contract with the Premier League club through to 2027.
Former Manchester United interim head coach Ralf Ragnick was close to agreeing terms to take over but eventually declined the opportunity. He will instead focus on leading Austria at this summer’s European Championship.
Flick will be tasked with reclaiming the league crown lost to Leverkusen following a disappointing campaign under Tuchel.
A step in the right direction
Analysis by Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Flick would not represent a step forward for Bayern, but he would be a step in the right direction.
To this point, there have been virtues to every coach the club have been linked with, but each one has also been associated with risk too – Julian Nagelsmann because of the board’s lack of complete support, Xabi Alonso’s relative inexperience, Unai Emery’s vast coaching staff and inability to speak German, and Ralf Rangnick’s coaching credentials.
Bayern have been mocked for their inability to make a successful appointment, but none of those options were truly perfect. That Erik ten Hag was briefly a candidate, despite enduring such a torrid time at Manchester United, makes that point clearly.
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Flick is not an ideal option either. His stock was damaged by Germany’s disastrous elimination from the 2022 World Cup. The Amazon documentary that followed caused many more wounds.
Nevertheless, it’s mightily convenient in a time of uncertainty for Bayern to be able to turn to someone whose last domestic coaching job delivered a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble, and who enjoyed such a harmonious relationship with a dressing room that is largely still in place.
The club are not really looking for tactical identity or evolution. Instead, this period will be about transitioning towards a new era and Flick, if he is appointed, would be as dependable a custodian as the club could currently find in this strange coaching market.
GO DEEPER
Hansi Flick was the lamest of ducks - he is the first Germany manager to be fired
(Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
