Why Thomas Tuchel rejected Manchester United before Erik ten Hag prolonged stay
Thomas Tuchel left Bayern Munich last summer and is currently without a club
Thomas Tuchel declined the chance to become Manchester United’s new manager due to disagreements over the club’s transfer strategy.
The German coach, who parted ways with Bayern Munich at the end of the 2023/24 season, held discussions with Sir Jim Ratcliffe regarding the possibility of taking over at Old Trafford.
At the time, United were conducting an internal review and had yet to finalize a decision on Erik ten Hag’s future.
Despite being out of work, the former Chelsea manager ultimately withdrew himself from consideration.
While early reports suggested that the 51-year-old was opting for a break from football, new details indicate that his reluctance was rooted in dissatisfaction with the terms of the potential move back to the Premier League.
Manchester United, who won the FA Cup but finished a disappointing eighth in the Premier League, were facing uncertainty around the squad and their internal structure.
The club’s new footballing leadership, including Omar Berrada and prospective sporting director Dan Ashworth, were still in the process of formalizing their roles, with a compensation package for Ashworth yet to be agreed.
According to Bild, Tuchel was particularly concerned with United’s transfer policy.
Although the former Borussia Dortmund manager came close to accepting the job, the lack of a clear and structured approach to transfers reportedly became a dealbreaker.
German pundit Marcel Reif told Bild that: “I would have bet a lot that Tuchel would replace Ten Hag.
“I recently had another conversation with someone who is very close to that.
“It was pretty far along, almost in agreement.
“As far as the squad is concerned, the considerations were different.
“Tuchel said pretty much at the finish line: ‘I’m not doing that!
“I won’t do that to myself again, that I go to a club and then things come from outside.'”
Manchester United were active in the summer transfer window, led by Director of Football Dan Ashworth and Technical Director Jason Wilcox.
The club also appeared to rely on Erik ten Hag’s input, as they signed players he had previously worked with, such as Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
In addition, the club secured the services of Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, and Manuel Ugarte.
Ten Hag now faces the task of integrating these new signings, but his start to the season has been challenging, and his position is under renewed scrutiny.
The 13-time Premier League champions began the season with a win against Fulham on the opening day, but have since suffered defeats to Brighton and Liverpool.
Ten Hag has defended his record by emphasizing his successes in cup competitions.
“Listen, we won, the last two years, behind City, the most trophies in English football, so we performed already the last two seasons,” he said.
“That is the reality, they are the facts.
“And, yeah, also this year, we want to win and we want to win trophies.”
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