Burnley's Kompany Surprise Candidate for Bayern Job

 

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is a surprise name on Bayern Munich’s list of potential candidates to become their new coach.

Kompany and Bayern have had initial talks though it is not known how far they have progressed and how close the parties are to making a decision.

The Bundesliga giants have struggled to find a replacement for Thomas Tuchel, whose exit was confirmed last week after initially being announced in February.

Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, and Austria coach Ralf Rangnick have all turned the job down.

Talks aimed at persuading Tuchel to stay on failed to reach a positive conclusion, leaving Bayern with a problem.

Kompany has built a decent reputation during his time at Anderlecht and Burnley, although the Clarets' relegation - following lofty pre-season expectations - has not reflected well on the Belgian.

However, he knows the Bundesliga from his time as a player at Hamburg and speaks German.

If Bayern were to make a formal approach, it is sure to be attractive to Kompany, who signed a five-year contract extension at Burnley in 2023 but refused to answer questions about his future after Sunday’s season-ending defeat by Nottingham Forest.

Bayern endured a trophyless campaign under Tuchel, finishing third in the league behind unbeaten champions Leverkusen and second-placed Stuttgart.

From Burnley to Bayern, if this was to happen it would be one of the most sensational stories of the summer. Neither club commented on the speculation when contacted by BBC Sport.

Kompany's Clarets stormed to the Championship title in his first season in charge, but their return to the top flight was a real struggle as he stuck to his principles of a possession-based game and playing out from the back.

But that stubbornness to not evolve, and countless individual errors, led to Burnley's immediate relegation back to the second tier.

Chairman Alan Pace wrote in his matchday programme notes on Sunday about the "project" under Kompany, who he has "full faith in".

Club sources have maintained all season the Belgian would not be sacked regardless of whether they stayed up, so these developments will have stunned the hierarchy.

Kompany is adamant he "never speaks about his future" and though clearly not Bayern's first or second choice, the opportunity of taking over at one of the most prestigious clubs in the world will surely be too good to turn down.

 

From BBC Sports