Outgoing Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel has spoken of his “very special time” managing Chelsea and admits he “loved it in the Premier League“.
Bayern announced in February that Tuchel was to leave at the end of the season, following an “amicable conversation” that took place to “end the collaboration” with chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen.
There has, however, been a petition from Bayern supporters, which nearly has 20,000 signatures, for the club to retain Tuchel as their head coach for next season, saying other candidates “don’t hold a candle” to him.
The 50-year-old has said in an interview with TNT Sports that it is “very, very, very unlikely” he will remain at Bayern beyond this campaign, even if the club win the Champions League. He added there is “no reason to doubt the agreement” that he has with Bayern and spoke of a possible return to the Premier League, having left Chelsea in September 2022.
Asked on the prospect of returning to English football, Tuchel said: “I’d rather not answer but it is no secret that I loved it at Chelsea, I loved it in England and I loved it in the Premier League for sure, it was a very, very special time and I remember it very well.”
GO DEEPER
Slot, Amorim, Lopetegui; Liverpool, Bayern – which managers are going where?
Tuchel, who was appointed as Bayern head coach in March 2023, has navigated the club through their first Bundesliga season without securing the title since 2012.
This season, Bayer Leverkusen clinched their inaugural league championship, leading Bayern by 15 points with just two rounds of matches left to play.
During his time in England, Tuchel guided Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021, and also led the west London side to consecutive FA Cup finals and the Carabao Cup final in 2022.
The German — who has enjoyed previous stints in charge of Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain — won the Bundesliga title for Bayern in 2022-23 and they are at the semi-final stage of this season’s Champions League.
Bayern drew the first leg 2-2 at home to Real Madrid, with the return leg in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.
(F. Noever/FC Bayern via Getty Images)
