Over the past week, it has become apparent that Vincent Kompany will succeed Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich. Consequently, months of speculation and rejection are set to come to an end as Der Rekordmeister look to have finally found their head coach.
However, as reported by Bild, Bayern’s search could have ended far sooner. It is understood that Hansi Flick had agreed to return to Bavaria on a one-year deal.
This would then have allowed Bayern to find a long-term solution in the summer of 2025, when the likes of Xabi Alonso, Jürgen Klopp, and Pep Guardiola will become free. Regardless, despite calling Flick on May 11, Max Eberl decided against getting back in contact with the former head coach of the German national team.
As stated in the report, a decision to bring Flick back was pushed by two supervisory board members at the club: Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Nevertheless, Christoph Freund and Eberl had already previously decided that change was required at the Allianz Arena, and there were concerns that if Flick were to return, he would insist on relying on the same players that were part of his all-conquering Bayern squad of 2020.
Ultimately, this means that by appointing Kompany, both Eberl and Freund are taking a significant risk. However, it is clear that the Belgian will be given time to stamp his authority on this side and make it his own, in a similar manner to Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.
In the meantime, Flick looks set to be appointed as the new coach of Barcelona, a job he has been preparing for over the past few months.
GGFN | Will Shopland
