Chelsea’s potential Thomas Tuchel reunion this season revealed amid Bayern Munich decision

Thomas Tuchel is set to be appointed as the new Bayern Munich manager after agreeing to return to management six months on from his Chelsea departure.

Bayern, who are currently second in the Bundesliga, have made the decision to part ways with Julian Nagelsmann and his exit is expected to be confirmed this week.

As reported by Florian Plettenberg, Bayern’s decision to dismiss the German was because of three reasons:

1. Negative sporting development in the Bundesliga
2. Lack of player development in terms of talents and top transfers
3. Players and bosses were surprised by Nagelsmann going on a ski holiday while his team has to work, with the internal feeling that was the wrong signal

It is also down to the fact Tuchel was wanted by several clubs and they were reportedly ‘determined’ not to miss out on him again, particularly with Real Madrid potentially losing Carlo Ancelotti this summer.

Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea last September as the new Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership opted to appoint Graham Potter to succeed the German, who didn’t align with the new vision.

Back in September at the SALT Conference in New York, co-owner Boehly admitted: “When you take over any business, you have to make sure you’re aligned with the people who are operating the business.

“Tuchel is obviously extremely talented and someone who had great success at Chelsea. Our vision for the club was to find a manager who really wanted to collaborate with us, a coach who really wanted to collaborate.

“There are a lot of walls to break down at Chelsea. Before (we arrived), the first team and academy didn’t really share data, didn’t share information about where the top players were coming from. Our goal is to bring a team together; all of that needs to be a well-oiled machine.

“The reality of our decision was that we weren’t sure that Thomas saw it the same way we saw it. No one is right or wrong, we just didn’t have a shared vision for the future. It wasn’t about Zagreb, it was about the shared vision for what we wanted Chelsea to look like.

“It wasn’t a decision that was made because of a single win or loss. It was a decision that we thought was the right vision for the club.”

Tuchel has expressed his affection for Chelsea after his successful stint at Stamford Bridge, winning the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.

But with his Bayern appointment impending after he agreed a two-and-a-half year deal, as reported by Gianluca Di Marzio, there is a possibility Tuchel could face his former side.

Both Chelsea and Bayern Munich remain in this season’s Champions League are on the same side of the draw. If Chelsea progress past Real Madrid and Bayern see off Manchester City, the pair will come head-to-head in May for a spot in June’s final.

It would see Tuchel face his former club just eight months on after leaving, with his final game in charge of Chelsea in Europe, and he would also return to the English capital.

When Tuchel departed Chelsea, it was a spell he didn’t want to come to an end. At the time, he wrote: “This is one of the most difficult statements I have ever had to write – and it is one which I hoped I would not need to do for many years. I am devastated that my time at Chelsea has come to an end.

“This is a club where I felt at home, both professionally and personally. Thank you so much to all the staff, the players and the supporters for making me feel very welcome from the start.

“The pride and joy I felt at helping the team to win the Champions League and the Club World Cup will stay with me forever. I am honoured to have been a part of this club’s history and the memories of the last 19 months will always have a special place in my heart.”

It would be quite the story if Chelsea and Bayern faced each other. The predecessor versus the successor.