Although stereotypes are rarely fair or indeed share a single resemblance to reality, you would have been forgiven for calling Karl-Heinz Rummenigge blunt and exceptionally efficient when he was asked if Jupp Heynckes would stick around to manage Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
"That's what Jupp has announced, and that's the way it will be,” the Bayern CEO announced, probably with a shrug of the shoulder. An ambivalent answer that will surely now raise 100 new questions between now and next May. Indeed, who will the next Bayern manager be?
Intriguingly, reports in the German press have stated that Heynckes will have a say in who replaces him - unlike the last time - and at the top of his and the club’s list could be former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel only left the Westfalenstadion in May of this year after falling out with the hierarchy there, but that shouldn’t stop Bayern from appreciating the manner in which he quickly turned a club around that had grown too reliant on old players and Jurgen Klopp.
However, whether the in-demand coach will wait till next May is another question entirely. German daily paper, SportBild, believe Chelsea have the German coached lined up as a potential replacement for Antonio Conte and if the London club swoop before the end of the season they may get their man.
Joachim Low’s name has been suggested, yet the German coach has a contract with the DFB until 2020 and even if he could be convinced to leave after next summer’s World Cup that doesn’t give him much time to address a crucial transfer window and plan out the next campaign. Any arrival next July or August would be rushed and could lead to even more problems.
Julian Nagelsmann was a popular name too, yet the 30-year old would undoubtedly be a risky move. Although the Hoffenheim coach worked wonders last season, he still has a long way to go before he proves himself a more than a notable blip on the radar. At least for a club the size of Bayern.
Which then leaves one, final and perhaps surprising name: Klopp. Not so long ago the former Dortmund coach looked golden at Anfield, yet things change quickly and should Liverpool’s fortunes take a turn the 50-year-old coach may be tempted to jump before he’s pushed. There’s also the added bonus that the current Bayern team is largely built around his old team at Dortmund, too.
