Potential replacements for Hansi Flick at Bayern - ranked
By Max Cooper
Hansi Flick and Bayern Munich are the Jay-Z and Beyonce of the football world.
The ride or die couple fell in love, took down everyone in their path and looked to be the most bulletproof pairing on the planet.
All relationships have their issues, however - even between two icons of the music industry. So, we shouldn't be too surprised that this high profile couple is ready to split up - Flick and Bayern, not Jay-Z and Beyonce.
After rescuing Die Roten from a seemingly unhappy ending with Niko Kovac in 2019, Flick delivered the league title, the domestic cup and the Champions League, all in his debut season. He should have walked off into the sunset there and then.
Instead, he stuck around, and this season has not been as electrifying. Bayern may well still win the league title, but their European and domestic cup adventures have both come to premature ends. Now Flick has confirmed that he is set to leave the club this summer - likely to become the new Germany manager - here's a list of contenders who could replace him.
7. Jose Mourinho
What happens when a serial winner stops winning? Realistically, they don't earn a move to Bayern, that's for sure. However, should Jose Mourinho be relieved of his duties at Tottenham Hotspur this summer, who's to say he can't pull the wool over Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's eyes and land another top job?
There, he'd have to implode pretty spectacularly not to win the league title, and the world will instantly fall back in love with the Special One, until he crashes out of Europe to Ajax or Sevilla.
Suitability rating: 3/10
6. Joachim Low
Could we see a straight swap in the dugouts? Probably not. Joachim Low has been in the international management game since 2004, and his ideas are now looking a touch dated.
A fresh start could be exactly what's needed however, and where better than at the (probable) champions of Germany?
Of course, he'd have to build some bridges with Thomas Muller, whom he cast off the international scene in rather controversial circumstances. Maybe not the best idea, then.
Suitability rating: 4/10
5. Erik ten Hag
The noise and buzz around Ajax may have cooled in the last two years, but the job that Erik ten Hag has done in the Netherlands cannot be overlooked. In 2019, the Dutchman led his side to the brink of a Champions League final, and his name was being linked with the likes of Real Madrid.
No major opportunities materialised for Ten Hag however, but he has ploughed on regardless, rebuilding a side which had its core ripped from within it.
With Ajax on the edge of another European exit at the hands of AS Roma, their coach may be ready to go in search of pastures new. The only question is, will Bayern take a relative risk on the forward-thinking coach?
Suitability rating: 7/10
4. Ralf Rangnick
Whenever a big job arises, Ralf Rangnick's name is always there or thereabouts. The boardroom guru worked wonders at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig, and looked set to bag himself a major move to Milan, before the Italian giants backed out of the deal.
Since then, he has been looking for work, and was linked with the Germany national team job. Working on the basis that Flick will be occupying that post though, Rangnick may be considered by Bayern to fill the void left by their outgoing coach.
He is highly respected in Germany, and very few would doubt his credentials for such a job.
Suitability rating: 7.5/10
3. Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool fans, look away now. We know that Jurgen Klopp was the face, heart, body and soul of Borussia Dortmund for seven years, and he once cracked a joke at Bayern's expense, but stranger things have happened in football.
Unless the Reds go all the way to win the Champions League, then this season will have to be written off as a bit of a failure. And Klopp has appeared pretty dejected throughout the campaign.
He is loved and revered at Liverpool, and the idea that the club would be better off without him is nonsense. But he may feel he's achieved all he can on Merseyside, and could be tempted to cross over to the dark side.
Suitability rating: 8/10
2. Massimiliano Allegri
Just imagine this man sliding coolly towards you and saying, "need a new coach next year?"
There is literally no way you can ever say no to such suavity.
Massimiliano Allegri is being linked with a return to Juventus in the summer, and he is also being hotly pursued by fellow Serie A hopefuls Roma. Whether he would accept a return to the Old Lady or take the risky step to the Italian capital remains to be seen, but there is another option awaiting him.
Bayern love to win, and so a man who lifted five league titles at a club with the motto, "Winning is not important, it's the only thing that counts," would be the ideal candidate. He's got the experience and the profile, along with an aura you just can't deny.
Suitability rating: 8.5/10
1. Julian Nagelsmann
Sometimes, the only way to thwart your closest rivals is to join forces with them. For Bayern, that would mean snatching the brains behind the RB Leipzig operation, Julian Nagelsmann.
Ever since bursting onto the scene as an Edin Dzeko doppelgänger and Hoffenheim boss in his late twenties, Nagelsmann has been tipped to be the future of German coaching.
He's come close to the summit with Die Roten Bullen this season, but he may take the shortcut and join the stronger Reds for the 2021/22 campaign. Young, ambitious and hungry for trophies, there may not be a better match on this list.
Suitability rating: 9/10