Julian Nagelsmann has responded to Bayern Munich’s premature disclosure of his dismissal, stating that the club leaked the news before informing him.
During the March international break, Bayern terminated the contract of the 35-year-old German manager and appointed former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel as his replacement.
The club released a statement announcing both Nagelsmann’s departure and Tuchel’s appointment on the same day, despite media speculation about the latter several days prior.
Nagelsmann’s management company, Sports 360, alleged that the club did not notify the manager before dismissing him.
However, CEO Oliver Kahn claimed in an interview with Sky Germany pundit Lothar Matthaus that they were unable to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Nagelsmann because he was on holiday during the international break.
He subsequently stated that the manager had been informed of his termination prior to the media’s reporting on it. Sports 360 told Sky Germany that
“Bayern has made no effort to contact or communicate with Julian Nagelsmann. After all the rumors in the media, the management of Julian Nagelsmann reached out to Hasan Salihamidzic on their own.”
After steering Bayern Munich to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with an unblemished record, Nagelsmann found his team trailing Dortmund by two points in the title race following their loss to Bayer Leverkusen just prior to the international break.
The defeat was a catalyst for the Bayern hierarchy to dismiss Nagelsmann and appoint Tuchel as his successor.