Julian Nagelsmann was released from Bayern Munich in March. Image: dpa / Federico Gambarini
Bundesliga
Julian Nagelsmann’s dismissal from FC Bayern in mid-March caused great astonishment. The Munich team didn’t shine during the season, but prevailed against Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League round of 16. In addition, President Herbert Hainer Nagelsmann shortly before in the “Kicker” from a job guarantee.
Entire TV programs revolved around the exact procedure, how the expulsion took place, who first leaked which information to journalists and when Nagelsmann found out about it at all.
But there was no real resolution. Everyone involved claimed to have behaved absolutely correctly. Now Nagelsmann’s advisor Volker Struth sheds some light and tells in the “Bild” podcast “Phrasen Mäher” how the expulsion went from his point of view.
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Struth himself was sitting in a restaurant in Cologne on the evening of March 23 when he received a call from a journalist. He is said to have said to him: “But that went quickly with Julian.” Much to the amazement of Struth, who didn’t know what was going on.
Volker Struth (right) with Toni Kroos, one of his other clients.Bild: imago stock&people / imago images
“We got more and more messages over the course of the evening and then contacted Julian – he didn’t know anything either and asked us about the motto: ‘Are you kidding me’?”
At the time, the ex-Bayern coach was skiing in the Zillertal with his girlfriend during the international break.
FC Bayern: Nagelsmann consultant contradicts Salihamidžić again
However, the process of who tried to contact whom and when to inform about the dismissal is still unclear.
In the podcast, Struth again contradicts Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidžić, who said shortly after the dismissal:
“As soon as we had Thomas Tuchel’s commitment, I tried to reach Julian – once, twice, three times. Then I called his management. And then I called Julian again and then reached him.”
Struth says that after the first report from Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, more and more information was brought to her by the media. His colleague Sascha Breese then contacted Salihamidžić via Whatsapp. “Do we need to know something?” He is said to have written to the Bayern boss. He called immediately and, according to Struth, is said to have suggested that they come to the office on Säbener Straße.
“The ‘how’ doesn’t work at all,” Struth now makes clear.
The consultant was not entirely surprised by the dismissal, but he actually expected the Bayern bosses to wait for the top game against Borussia Dortmund and the knockout games in the Champions League against Manchester City and in the cup against SC Freiburg.
FC Bayern: Nagelsmann consultant talks about Chelsea cancellation
After he was released, Chelsea contacted Julian Nagelsmann promptly, as Struth revealed in an interview.
Ultimately, however, Nagelsmann canceled the Londoners. “It’s a club swimming in very choppy waters. They’ve gone through a few transfer phases, with a lot of money and players who are expected to do something. You have to live up to that,” explained Struth. “It wasn’t the right place at the moment.”
For the 35-year-old, only top international clubs would be considered in the future. “The market is not there in Germany.” In addition to Chelsea, Nagelsmann has also been linked to Tottenham Hotspur, but Struth says they need to hire a sporting director first.
In addition, it could be that he will not take over a new club in the summer. “There’s nothing wrong with seeing what happens in autumn or winter.”
At the weekend, the Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskkyj visited Germany. First in the Chancellery in Berlin, then in Aachen for the presentation of the Charlemagne Prize. A risky journey. The plans for this had already been made public a few days earlier. The security situation in Berlin and Aachen was correspondingly high that day.
