Next Bayern Munich manager: Ralf Rangnick and Jose Mourinho the favourites after Niko Kovac’s departure

Final curtain | Bayern's 5-1 defeat at Frankfurt would be Kovac's last match as Bayern boss
Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images
Richard Parry3 November 2019

RB Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Bayern Munich hot-seat after the Bundesliga champions parted company with coach Niko Kovac after 18 months in charge.

A statement on the club website said the decision was by mutual agreement, with Bayern down in fourth place having lost 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Kovac, a former Bayern midfielder, led the side to the league and cup double in May, becoming the first man to achieve the feat as a player and manager.

But things have turned sour this season, and Kovac said on fcbayern.com: "I think this is the right decision for the club at the moment. The results, and also the way we last played, made me come to that decision.

"My brother (and assistant) Robert and I thank Bayern for the last one and a half years. During this time, our team has won the championship, the DFB Cup and the Supercup.

"It was a good time. I wish the club and the team all the best."

Mourinho to Arsenal? Gunners chief Sanllehi and Mourinho have not spoken 'for years' Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

Assistant coach Hans Flick has been placed in temporary charge ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against Olympiakos and next Saturday's Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund.

Chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "The performance of our team in recent weeks and the results have shown us that there was need for action.

Next manager odds


Ralf Rangnick 7/4
Jose Mourinho 11/4
Hansi Flick 10/3
Erik ten Hag 11/2
Massimiliano Allegri 9/1
Mark van Bommel 12/1

Odds provided by Betfair

"(President) Uli Hoeness, (sporting director) Hasan Salihamidzic and I had an open and serious conversation with Niko on this basis on Sunday, with the consensual result that Niko is no longer coach of Bayern.

"We all regret this development. I would like to thank Niko Kovac on behalf of FC Bayern for his work, especially for winning the double this past season."

Rangnick is the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Kovac, while former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is also highly backed.

The Portuguese has been out of work since leaving Old Trafford last year, and former Bayern captain Bastian Schweinsteiger - who was part of Mourinho's squad at Man Utd - suggested that he could be in line for the role.

"I can imagine Mourinho in Germany,” he told German broascaster Deutsche Welle. “I remember he was always asking me about Bayern and the Bundesliga. During our away games, there was always Bundesliga on TV. He really knew every single player, even from the smaller teams. He was also learning German."

Photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Bayern sit four points behind early league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach with five wins and 18 points from 10 matches.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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