Bayern Munich’s search for a new manager is going about as badly as they could have imagined.
Ralf Rangnick became the third formal target to reject an offer from Bayern, following on from Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann, while rumoured targets Sebastian Hoeness, Roger Schmidt and Unai Emery have all publicly committed to their current clubs, and to make matters worse, outgoing boss Thomas Tuchel has led Bayern to the Champions League semi-finals.
With the search becoming increasingly frantic, here are five candidates Bayern could turn to to fill their managerial void.
Antonio Conte is on the hunt for a new club after leaving Tottenham in March 2023 and is one of the more high-profile names currently out of work.
When given sufficient financial backing, Conte’s record of delivering trophies is superb, but a move to Bayern would bring obvious questions about his fit alongside a boardroom of outspoken, influential figures.
His knowledge of a three-man defence, and specifically the weaknesses of such a setup, could help Bayern take down Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
It has previously been reported that Bayern aren’t too keen on hiring Roberto De Zerbi, but beggars can’t be choosers at this point.
De Zerbi is an intriguing tactician who could flourish at the helm of a ball-dominant team with deep pockets, but he hasn’t done himself any favours by leading current club Brighton on a miserable run of form.
He’s clearly not a top option for any elite side this summer, but that’s exactly where Bayern find themselves right now.
Hansi Flick has plenty of fans inside the Bayern boardroom and reports suggest he has even rebuilt his bond with Uli Hoeness, so a return is not completely unimagineable.
Bayern want a German manager with Bundesliga experience and could do a whole lot worse than the man whose 86 games at the club between 2019 and 2021 yielded a ridiculous seven trophies.
Convincing Flick to come back for round two may not be easy, but he’s a safe bet who could steady the ship at a time of crisis.
Ruben Amorim definitely doesn’t feel like a Bayern appointment. They love high-level experience and German passports – two things the Sporting CP boss does not possess.
However, even if perhaps through gritted teeth, Bayern officials will undoubtedly have been impressed by Amorim’s performances in Portugal. Most of Europe’s elite have given serious consideration to hiring him over the past 18 months and it feels like a major move is right around the corner.
Bayer Leverkusen struck gold when they took a gamble on Alonso. Bayern might need to do the same to close the gap.
With most of the candidates already ruling themselves out of the race, someone like Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner could soon come into focus.
Glasner may have only joined Palace in February but he has already made a big impact, drawing the most out of the Eagles’ most creative players and rebuilding a bond with disgruntled fans – the sort of things Bayern need from their new manager.
The former Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt boss comes with four years of impressive Bundesliga experience as well, so the fact that he is Austrian and not German may not actually work against him.
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