Top contenders to replace Niko Kovac at Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich sacked the 48-year-old manager after the side’s humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening.

Bayern Munich made Niko Kovac pay the price for an average start to the 2019/20 campaign by sacking the 48-year-old on Sunday evening.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt manager, who won the Bundesliga title during his first season at Allianz Arena, was unable to silence the detractors questioning the way he sets up his teams to play.

Rumors of discontent within the club were growing even before the start of this season, though they only reached the boiling point stage after Bayern’s humiliating 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, with the Reds now finding themselves four points adrift of league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.

Their decision to sack Kovac one week before the November international break has sent the tongues wagging about who would replace the 48-year-old at the club’s hot seat. And in this article, we’re going to examine the top contenders for the job.

Former RB Leipzig manager Ralf Ragnick who eight years earlier won the DFC Cup with Schalke 04 is among the favorites to land the job at the Allianz Arena.

The 61-year-old resigned was working as coach and sports director of RB Leipzig before he resigned from both posts in the summer. He’s currently working as Head of Sports and Development Soccer for Red Bull Salzburg and is one of the favorites to replace Kovac at Bayern.

Erik Ten Hag

Eric Ten Hag is one of the few managers currently being linked with Bayern whose brand of play excites has the potential to excite the club’s fans – through his responsibilities at Ajax means Bayern might have to wait until the end of the season even if they reach an agreement with the 49-year-old.

The Dutch manager, who has previously worked with Bayern’s team reserves under Pep Guardiola, forced everyone to take note of his coaching prowess by guiding a youthful Ajax side to the semi-final of UEFA Champions League last season.

Xabi Alonso

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, who also played for Bayern for three seasons between 2014 and 2017, is also being heavily linked with the job after the club’s executive chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge dropped his name as a potential future manager of the club a few days ago.

While he left playing football only two years ago, Alonso already has considerable managerial experience at his belt. The silky former Spanish midfielder has been coaching San Sebastian, the youth side of La Liga outfit Real Sociedad since the start of last season.

Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has been out of football for more than a year now but the French manager has repeatedly indicated his desire to once again manage a top European club.

During his 22-year long association with Arsenal, Wenger was pursued by a host of top European clubs, as he chose to lay his roots in North London. There have been talks in the past few months that Wenger has accepted a directorial role at UEFA, though it would be hard for the former Arsenal manager to turn down Bayern if they come calling.