On Saturday evening the Bild group announced Thomas Tuchel wouldn’t be joining Bayern Munich and would instead be managing a big club outside the country next season.
Bild didn’t claim who that club may be, and given its their exclusive that could be crucial. There’s no mention of Arsenal or Chelsea in either their newspaper or website report.
Bayern hadn’t appeared in unison on wanting to appoint Tuchel, and certainly not about doing it quickly, and the slant is he’s now turned them down.
Süddeutsche Zeitung report that Tuchel informed Bayern on Thursday that he’d be taking a job outside of Germany, and on Friday Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Hoeneß and Hasan Salihamidzic ‘tried in vain’ to get him to change his mind.
It’s reported Tuchel’s new club should soon be announced.
Germany’s Sport1 then carried the claims, crediting both Bild and Süddeutsche Zeitung, and added: ‘A hot candidate is likely to be the Arsenal, with whom he should have already negotiated. But other top European clubs such as Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have already been traded as possible destinations.’
One of the journalists behind the Sport1 story, Martin Volkmar, then tweeted ‘Apparently Tuchel negotiates with Arsenal’, to which a whole raft of German replies brought up Sven Mislintat.
Tuchel and Mislintat had a very poor relationship at Borussia Dortmund and it’s one of the reasons the super-scout is now at Arsenal.
It’s also been claimed on social media that Germany’s Revier Sport are backing up Sport1’s Tuchel to Arsenal claims, but what they actually say is: ‘In the past, Tuchel was repeatedly associated with Arsenal. In London he would inherit Arsenal coach legend Arsene Wenger and meet his former protégé Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But even a commitment at Chelsea could be conceivable. At Stamford Bridge Chelsea club boss Roman Abramovich is not satisfied with the Italian Antonio Conte. All roads seem to lead to Tuchel to London.’
Clearly speculation rather than information.
Very different is Kicker on Sunday morning, who sound much surer that Tuchel is going to Arsenal. Their headline reads: ‘Bayern refusal: Tuchel changes to Arsenal’.
Kicker say their own information states Tuchel will move to Arsenal and take over from Arsene Wenger. Kicker say they’ve ‘learned from England’ that Tuchel’s new employer will be Arsenal.
They also cover the Sven angle, claiming he’s ‘assured’ Arsenal he’ll continue to work for the best interests of the club.
Is this the time Arsene Wenger finally goes? Maybe, but it’s probably best not to rule out this is a big domestic and Tuchel will end up at Bayern Munich anyway.
Bild have since covered the Kicker claims, and they sound sceptical to say the least. The German newspaper states no decision has been made, and that the favourite is PSG.
