By sportswriter Oliver Trust
BERLIN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Thomas Tuchel's refusal to take over as head coach at Bayern Munich next season is causing negative publicity for the Bavarian club.
While speculation about Tuchel's next move are growing, German media are accusing Bayern of being asleep at the wheel. The 44-year-old is said to have rejected Bayern's offer, indicating he will take over a top international side abroad instead - the potential names include Arsenal and Paris St. Germain.
Now the 2013 treble winner is being blamed for the disunity of its club leaders like the board chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and president Uli Hoeness. Some media are even reporting a deep internal dispute between the two former German internationals.
Rummenigge favored Tuchel as the successor for 72-year-old Jupp Heynckes, who will depart after this season. Hoeness was said to doubt Tuchel's abilities to coach a team of stars, his fit into Bayern's structure and his ability to deal with dominant leaders.
Hoeness has attempted several times to convince Heynckes to stay for one more year, but all attempts have failed.
Tuchel is said to be fed up with Bayern's hesitation after saying he would be happy to follow after Heynckes. However, no decision was made. "Did Hoeness gamble it away?" asked the Berlin-based tabloid Bild. The weekly magazine Sport-Bild is talking about a major accident that was controversial discussions within the club.
The Berlin-based "Tagesspiegel" headlined: "How Bayern missed Thomas Tuchel."
The Berlin-based "Die Welt" called the disunity between Rummenigge and Hoeness the club's most significant problem.
All the leading newspapers cannot hide a certain amount of glee in accusing Munich of being too confident and too inattentive.
According to reports, Bayern unsuccessfully tried to convince Tuchel in a telephone conference last Friday to accept an offer to stay.
German media are speaking of Tuchel's refusal being the club's most painful defeat this season. "Bayern simply waited too long," Sport-Bild commented. The magazine is assuming that the club was maneuvered into a tricky situation by Rummenigge and Hoeness. The next Bayern coach would only be the third choice now.
Bild offered help by listing the remaining candidates, such as former Bayern professional and Eintracht Frankfurt coach Nico Kovac, RB Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl, Lucien Favre (Nice) and TSG Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino is said to be on Bayern's list too. Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp and German national coach Joachim Loew are said to be not available.
While the Nuremberg-based football magazine Kicker is insisting that Tuchel will join Arsenal, Bild reported that Tuchel has struck a deal with Paris St Germain, adding that the former Dortmund coach is already looking for an assistant with experience in the French league.
While Bayern seems to be severely affected by Tuchel's rejection, German international Ilkay Guendogan is predicting a bright future for his former Dortmund coach.
"Thomas Tuchel is ready to coach every big club on the planet," the 27-year-old emphasized in advance of Germany's friendly against Brazil this Tuesday evening in Berlin. The midfielder with Turkish roots said he is a great fan of Tuchel and called him a "world-class coach" that "has influenced my development."
Bayern is now said to be under time constraints, as the club needs to make decisions about its future squad, and the new coach is a vital part of that process. The future of several 'golden agers' such as Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, and Arturo Vidal is uncertain.
