Earlier in the week, Ralf Rangnick officially added himself to the list of managers that have said no to becoming the Thomas Tuchel replacement at Bayern Munich. He was heavily linked with becoming the Rekordmeister’s next manager and was heavily favored by the club’s board, but he has made the decision to stick with the Austrian national team. His contract with the OFB runs through the 2026 World Cup in the U.S, Mexico, and Canada. Recent discussions with the OFB helped him make his decision and Bayern are left with yet another option scratched off the list.
A similar situation has already happened with Julian Nagelsmann. Both Max Eberl and Christoph Freund fancied the idea of bringing him back to the club for next season, which would have worked out quite well since his previous DFB contract only ran through the end of this summer’s Euros in Germany. Now, though, the former Bayern, RB Leipzig, and Hoffenheim manager has since signed an extension with the DFB that will keep him at the helm of the German national team through the 2026 World Cup, just like Rangnick with Austria. Before the most recent extension, the timing would have lined up perfectly if he were to have agreed on coming back to Bayern, but now that is just conjecture.
Per information from Tz’s Philipp Kessler (via @iMiaSanMia), Bayern’s board and front office were shocked that Rangnick wound up rejecting the club’s offer to replace Tuchel. They got the impression their discussions with the manager met all of the demands he was prospectively asking for and that there were really no more roadblocks in the way of the moving going ahead.
Both Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß had heavily campaigned for Rangnick, even though the manager has a reputation for being demanding and wanting to control all aspects of the job when he is in the role of manager. This is something that seemingly does not fit the mold of the way Bayern is run as a club, but it appeared that was not an issue in the most recent discussions where the club was ready for him to become Tuchel’s successor.
At the end of the day, when push came to shove, Rangnick reportedly just did not want to make too much of a drastic change in his life and the current setup that he has. He wants to keep things the way they are with his role with the Austrian national team. It is unfortunate for Bayern, but they have made it clear they are looking for a long-term replacement, and not just a one or two season fill in, so they want someone who assuredly wants to know they want to become manager of FC Bayern.
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