Bayern Munich clarify Thomas Tuchel’s statements after Barcelona links: “Never spoke about Xavi”

Following the announcement made by Xavi Hernandez last weekend that he will be leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the season, there has been a plethora of rumours linking several top managers with the top job at the Catalan club.

The likes of Jurgen Klopp, Mikel Arteta, Hansi Flick, and Imanol Alguacil, among others, appear to be some of the managers under consideration for the job. The name of Thomas Tuchel of Bayern Munich was also said to be under the mix after the statements he made.

What did Tuchel say?

On Sunday, Bayern Munich boss Tuchel made statements during an interview that seemed to hint that he might be throwing his hat into the ring for the Barça job as well.

“Moving abroad would appeal to me again. Spain has an extraordinary league. From my perspective, and based on my experience working with Spaniards, they are characterized by a tremendous amount of self-confidence,” Tuchel said.

“When you speak with Spanish players, you quickly get the sense that you are engaging with the person.“

Bayern Munich issue clarification

Tuchel’s words not about Barcelona job, say Bayern. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

As mentioned earlier, Thomas Tuchel’s words were construed in the media as him potentially raising his hand as a contender for the Barcelona job.

But, Bayern Munich have issued an official statement clarifying the words of their manager claiming that he never talked about Xavi or being his successor at Barcelona and that the speculations were non-factual.

“Our head coach Thomas Tuchel was asked by supporters on Sunday as part of a fan club visit about his coaching career and his previous experiences abroad at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, and naturally provided information about this during the discussion,” the statement read.

“He also answered general questions from fans about Spain as a footballing country. He never spoke about Xavi Hernández and his successor, as was falsely claimed afterwards.

“We will no longer accept such non-factual statements directed against our coach, which always come from the same source.”

The statement was jointly signed by Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and sporting director Christoph Freund.

While Bayern have issued a stern statement against the speculations, Arsenal boss Arteta has also come out and dismissed chatter about him wanting to leave the Gunners for Barcelona.