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Speculation regarding Ralf Rangnick has fuelled football betting sites to install the 65-year-old as the odds-on favourite replace Thomas Tuchel as Bayern Munich manager.
The German giants announced in February that they would be parting ways with Tuchel at the end of the season, at which point Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso was quickly installed as the frontrunner to succeed Tuchel.
Alonso was said to be at the top of their wish list following his outstanding campaign with Leverkusen, who ended Bayern's 11-year dominance of the Bundesliga, capturing their first German top flight crown in the process.
But, Alonso has since announced his intention to remain at the BayArena, forcing Bayern to look elsewhere.
It's been tough going for the Bavarians, who have already surrendered their Bundesliga title, while they were knocked out of the DFB Pokal early on.
The Champions League is Bayern’s best chance of silverware and they advanced to semi-finals with a narrow win over Arsenal in the last eight. However, they are underdogs in the Champions League odds for their last-four showdown with 14-time winners Real Madrid.
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Tuchel has found it tricky to get the most out of a squad that was boosted by the addition of Harry Kane last summer and the hunt is now on for his replacement.
After seeing their wish list trimmed by Alonso's decision to stay at Leverkusen and former manager Julian Nagelsmann committing his future to the German national side, Bayern's hierarchy are reportedly turning to former Manchester Uniter interim boss Rangnick.
Next Bayern Munich Manager Odds:
- Ralf Rangnick - 1/2 (BetVictor)
- Roberto De Zerbi – 4/1 (bet365)
- Zinedine Zidane – 11/2 (bet365)
- Hansi Flick - 12/1 (bet365)
- Sebastian Hoeness - 14/1 (Parimatch)
- Ruben Amorim – 25/1 (BetVictor)
- Jose Mourinho – 28/1 (BetVictor)
- Antonio Conte – 33/1 (bet365)
- Diego Simeone - 33/1 (BetVictor)
- Massimiliano Allegri - 33/1 (bet365)
- Graham Potter - 33/1 (talkSPORT BET)
- Xabi Alonso – 33/1 (bet365)
- Jurgen Klopp – 40/1 (bet365)
- Luis Enrique – 40/1 (Parimatch)
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - 66/1 (bet365)
*Best prices available at time of writing
Next Bayern Munich manager betting: Rangnick to make Bayern move?
Bayern have been forced to look elsewhere amid Alonso's decision to remain at Leverkusen after his successful campaign. In a refreshing turn of events in German football, the lure of Bayern was not enough to prise the Spaniard away.
Rangnick has emerged out of nowhere to become the odds-on favourite to replace Tuchel at Bayern. The club's hierarchy are said to have identified the Austria head coach as their top target after missing out on Alonso and Nagelsmann.
The Bavarian outfit could be forced to wait until the conclusion of Austria's Euro 2024 campaign, which could end on June 25 due to the difficulty of their opponents after being placed in the same group as France, Netherlands and Poland for the tournament in Germany.
Rangnick has only been in the role two years and has endured mixed results, qualifying for the Euros, but also being relegated to Nations League B. However, Bayern will be drawn to his vast Bundesliga experience with Hoffenheim, Schalke and RB Leipzig.
Although the 65-year-old has never won the Bundesliga crown, he came close in 2005 with Schalke side, who lost out to Bayern, while the Bavarian outfit also defeated his team in the DFB-Pokal final in the same season.
Schalke did eventually win the cup under Rangnick's tenure in 2011, overcoming Bayern in the semi-finals.
Since then, Rangnick has split time between the dugout and the board room at Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, serving as both manager and director of football.
He has been credited for the success of Leipzig's development, overseeing their rise through the lower tiers of German football before leading the club to Champions League qualification in 2020.
In his last club managerial role, Rangnick served as interim boss at Manchester United following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal. However, he won only 11 of his 29 games before leaving at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Despite his lack of success at club level, BetVictor are pricing up Rangnick at 1/2 to take the Bayern job.
Don't count out De Zerbi yet
Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi's odds have remained fairly consistent at 4/1 on bet365, the Italian having remained in the running either as the favourite or a top contender for the role throughout the process.
He has performed well during his two years at Brighton after replacing Graham Potter. The Italian guided the Seagulls to their first-ever European finish in the 2022/23 campaign after earning sixth place in the Premier League.
The club also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they lost out on penalties to Manchester United.
However, De Zerbi has not enjoyed a stellar second season amid a run of injuries and inconsistent results.
Brighton are off the pace in the battle for European football next term, while their Europa League campaign came to an abrupt halt this season with a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Roma in the round of 16.
The Italian has also made thinly veiled criticisms regarding the club's recruitment strategy, suggesting that it's not an entirely happy camp at the Amex Stadium.
It would be a bold appointment for Bayern to move for De Zerbi considering his lack of success at the highest level.
De Zerbi has been linked with both Liverpool and Barcelona, although those clubs appear to be heading down different avenues regarding their next manager and now Bayern are seemingly following suit.
Zidane still a top contender?
Zidane was the favourite to replace Tuchel at the Allianz Arena and make a return to management before the Rangnick news broke. The Frenchman enjoyed great success in his previous managerial role with Real Madrid.
In his first spell with the Spanish giants, Zidane won three Champions League crowns on the bounce between 2016 and 2018, while he also claimed the LaLiga title in 2017.
After leaving Madrid in 2018, he returned for a second stint in 2019 following the dismissals of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari. However, after winning LaLiga for a second time in 2020, Zidane would leave the Bernabeu for good after a trophy-less 2020/21 season.
The 51-year-old has been out of work since, although he did rebuff an approach from the United States to become their manager in 2023. He also been linked with a number of high-profile clubs, including Manchester United.
Zidane has been touted with a move to Bayern before, but there were reported doubts whether he would accept the role due to the language barrier.
Betting sites seem optimistic that might not be an obstacle on this occasion, although his odds have been fluctuating and are now out to 11/2.
Other old faces linked with Bayern return?
Flick is fourth in the betting behind Rangnick, De Zerbi and Zidane. The 59-year-old is one of the top contenders to become the next Barcelona manager, so Bayern could miss out on another target if the German decides to move to Camp Nou.
Flick guided Bayern to two Bundesliga crowns and a Champions League triumph during his two seasons in charge.
He opted to leave the club to take up the position of Germany manager, but he became the first man to be sacked from the role after Die Mannschaft's disastrous performance in the 2022 World Cup and poor form leading into the Euros.
Odds of 12/1 with BetVictor might be too short for Flick to return considering his stock in Germany at the moment.
If you can't get Alonso, Sebastian Hoeness has been the other standout coach in the Bundesliga this season. He has led Stuttgart towards a Champions League place, returning the club to Europe's top club competition for the first time in 14 years.
Hoeness was manager of Bayern II for one year and led his team to the 3. Liga crown, being named manager of the year in 3. Liga in the process.
The 41-year-old fits the profile that the Bavarian club are looking for, and he could be worth consideration with betting apps going 14/1.
Klopp, Mourinho, Conte and OGS?
The picture behind the leading contenders in the next Bayern Munich manager market are a number of long shots, including several former Premier League managers.
Jurgen Klopp will become a free agent at the end of the season when he leaves Liverpool after a successful eight-and-a-half years on Merseyside, during which time the Reds have won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
The 56-year-old says he’s walking away from Liverpool to recharge his batteries and it would be a surprise to see him jump straight back into another high-pressure job like Bayern with odds of 40/1 for him to succeed Tuchel.
Jose Mourinho is another experienced option that does have a history of winning titles, albeit his reputation has taken a hit in recent years.
The Portuguese is currently out of work after leaving Roma earlier this year and German newspaper Bild have reported that Mourinho has begun learning German in preparation for a move to the Bundesliga.
Mourinho has been linked with Bayern on several occasions in the past, but his stock is much lower now, and it would be a questionable appointment. Still, he has odds of 28/1 to make the move to Bayern.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a newcomer in the odds to succeed Tuchel. The former Manchester United manager splits the bookies with odds as low as 14/1 and as high as 66/1, but has been out of the game since he was sacked by the Red Devils in November 2021.
Considering the struggles of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, Solskjaer's exploits at the club don't look too bad in comparison.
However, he may lack the gravitas that Bayern fans have come to expect from their managers, while he also played a significant role in the German outfit's infamous defeat to United in the 1999 Champions League final.
One of Mourinho's successors at Chelsea, Antonio Conte, is priced up at 33/1 to make the move to Germany. The Italian has been out of work since leaving Tottenham in March 2023. He enjoyed success at Juventus and Chelsea for periods, although his time at Spurs was underwhelming.
Other big names for Bayern to consider
Other questionable names featured on the shortlist drawn up by gambling sites include Xavi Hernandez, Luis Enrique and Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim.
Xavi will be available in the summer after opting to leave Barcelona. The Spaniard steered the club to the LaLiga crown in his first full season in charge, although the defence of their title has not gone to plan with the Catalan side well off Real Madrid's pace.
Their Champions League campaign ultimately ended in disappointment too, suffering a 4-1 thrashing in the second leg of their quarter-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG's success may have removed Luis Enrique from the equation to be the next Bayern manager. Enrique is poised to lead the French outfit to the Ligue 1 title and after reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, he should almost certainly return for a second term in Paris.
Amorim currently was the favourite in the Liverpool manager odds market following Alonso's decision to stay at Leverkusen. But has now seen his odds drift amid reports that Arne Slot is in the running to replace Jurgen Klopp.
Still, Amorim is 25/1 for the Bayern job with BetVictor. He has performed exceptionally well in Portugal with Sporting and is on the verge of claiming his second Primeira Liga crown as well as reaching the Taca de Portugal final.
West Ham are also said to have a strong interest in Amorim, but the lure of Bayern could see the German giants prise him away from east London.
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Last Updated: 23rd April 2024, 04:37 PM
