Bayern Munich sacks manager Julian Nagelsmann

Bayern Munich announced Friday it has fired club manager Julian Nagelsmann and will appoint Thomas Tuchel to the post, effective immediately.

The leadership change comes as the team dropped in the Bundesliga league, while reports of Nagelsmann losing support from players also emerged.

Nagelsmann was in his second season at the helm of the German juggernaut after leading the club to its 31st Bundesliga title in his first campaign. Bayern Munich, winners of 10 consecutive league titles, slipped from first place to second on the Bundesliga table after a disappointing loss to Bayern Leverkusen over the weekend. Munich’s rival Borussia Dortmund currently sits atop the league standings.

“The domestic league, the Bundesliga, this is what it’s all about. You have to win. It’s not a ‘nice to have’ title, the German title, it’s a ‘must have’ title,” Thomas Gaber, editor of EuroSport’s German website told CNN Friday.

The move comes while the world’s top leagues are on an international break. Bayern Munich’s next match is a pivotal clash with Dortmund on April 1. The club also has a UEFA Champions League tie with Manchester City looming.

Nagelsmann’s firing was also precipitated by reports that there is unrest in the Munich dressing room.

“There are problems with the squad in the locker room,” Gaber explained to CNN. “Altogether, it’s obviously the end of Julian Nagelsmann.”

Bayern Munich was quick to name Thomas Tuchel the team’s new manager to finish out the season. In 2021, Tuchel took over mid-season at English Premier League club Chelsea, and led the team to a Champions League title.

Tuchel was let go by Chelsea in September following the club’s ownership change and a disappointing start to the season.

Munich says that Tuchel’s contract will run through the 2024-25 season and the German manager will supervise team training starting Monday.