If it had been up to Ralf Rangnick, Julian Nagelsmann would not be Bayern coach today. The long-time sports director of Leipzig would simply have rejected a change.
“I certainly wouldn’t have agreed to this change and also bailed out FC Bayern,” said the 63-year-old as a DAZN pundit in the new “Decoded” format.
Much more, the former Bundesliga coach and manager would have tried to nip a possible departure in the bud early on. “I would have clearly said even at an earlier stage: ‘Watch out Julian, no way, we still have an exciting time ahead of us here and you’re staying’!”
“Look Julian, no way, we have an exciting time ahead of us here and you’re staying!”
RALF RANGNICK
Nagelsmann moved from RB to the German record champions this summer – the Munich side paid a transfer fee of €23 million to the Saxons. RB signed Jesse Marsch as Nagelsmann’s successor, with whom Leipzig have made a bumpy start to the season so far.
In the streaming provider’s new format, Nagelsmann was also present at the kick-off show, so that he could respond directly to Rangnick’s ban on a transfer. The 34-year-old did so realistically: “I definitely didn’t press the tear-jerker, and I wouldn’t have been angry with anyone if I had stayed in Leipzig. In Munich, he succeeded coach Hansi Flick, who moved on from FC Bayern to the DFB as national coach. There were big shoes to fill, he said. “When you get a call that Bayern Munich would like you to be their coach, the first thing you do is think: who was there before you, who was there in the recent past?” mused Nagelsmann.
“I definitely didn’t press the tear-jerker, and I wouldn’t have been angry with anyone if I had stayed in Leipzig. “
JULIAN NAGELSMANN
On Wednesday evening at FC Bayern’s first home game in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev, Rangnick will celebrate his premiere as a TV pundit on DAZN. From 2012 to 2019, Rangnick was under contract at RB Leipzig, first as sporting director and beyond that as head coach in the 2015/16 and 2018/19 seasons. From 2019 to 2020, he held the title of Head of Sport and Development Soccer at Red Bull GmbH.
Rangnick hints at possible Haaland switch to Bayern
The experienced football coach also let slip that Bayern may well have had a chance to sign exceptional striker Erling Haaland from RB Salzburg in the 2019/20 winter transfer window. “Of course, theoretically there would have been the possibility last winter, when he had an exit clause at RB Salzburg, to change clubs,” Rangnick said, “but at that time you couldn’t imagine him playing together with Robert Lewandowski – which has certainly changed now.”
The 21-year-old Norwegian has been striker for Borussia Dortmund since January 2020 and has since scored 68 goals in 67 competitive matches for the Black and Yellows.