Former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick is taking over as FC Barcelona manager just around seven months after he was dismissed by the DFB as German national team manager.
Flick will be replacing the outbound Xavi Hernandez, who was rumored to possibly be staying at the club beyond this summer, but that turned out to not be the case and the Spaniard has warned Flick for the difficult road ahead in managing the Catalan giants. In a press conference, Xavi said that Flick would “suffer,” as Barcelona is a difficult place to be the man in the hot seat, something Flick will have been used to from his time as both Germany and Bayern Munich manager.
It is certainly worth noting that Flick was also a name discussed as an option to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern, but he ultimately had his heart set on accepting a new challenge in a different country. He was a favored candidate by board member for sport Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund, but his mind was made up and it’s no surprise that he has accepted the Barcelona job in the end.
Thomas Müller wished his former manager the best of luck with his new role in a press conference from Germany’s Euro 2024 preparation training camp in Blankenhain. “I’m happy for Hansi, I know him very well. The two FCBs are hot spots, especially for coaches, because expectations are always very high. I hope he can celebrate a lot of success there,” Bayern’s Raumdeuter explained (via @iMiaSanMia).
For Flick, he will have a reunion with former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski and he already has his sights set on the Bundesliga for recruiting players during the summer transfer window. Reports have suggested he is also keen on trying to bring Joshua Kimmich to Barcelona, but that is not likely at this juncture and Bayern is ready to open contract extension talks with Kimmich after the Euros this summer.
There would also be a certain level of irony if Barcelona and Bayern are yet again drawn to the same UEFA Champions League group for the 2024/25 season as the two clubs have seen a fair share of one another in that competition within the past four seasons.
The time they are a changin’ at Bayern Munich. Vincent Kompany looks like he is taking over in Bavaria, while the club’s former favorite son — Hansi Flick — is heading to FC Barcelona. Which one will make out better with their new club? We’ll find out, but in the meantime, there could also be some Bayern players who are on Flick’s transfer radar, too. basically, we’ve got a lot to talk about with all of that, plus some appreciation for Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible season. You can check all of that out on the Bavarians Podcast Works Show, which is available on Spotify or below: