Bayern sacked Niko Kovac on Sunday following their crushing 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga - which left them in fourth in the table on 18 points after their opening ten games - already four adrift of league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.
Since that dismissal, the Bayern hierarchy have been quick to identify potential candidates to replace the Croatian. According to Sport Bild, number one target Rangnick – who managed RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last term – declined the opportunity to enter into negotiations with Bayern on Tuesday, which has in turn left Wenger as the clear favourite for the role.
Exclusive @BILD_Sport : Ralf Rangnick declines the negotiations with FC Bayern. Now Arsene Wenger is the absolute favorite for the job as the Coach of Bayern
— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) November 6, 2019
This news came after Rangnick’s agent Marc Kosicke spoke to Bild where he stated: “No, Ralf Rangnick is not available. We do not believe that what Ralf Rangnick brings is currently being sought at Bayern. And that’s why it makes no sense to hold concrete talks.”
Alongside Rangnick – who is now seemingly out of the picture – current Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel had also been contacted by Bayern over the vacancy but any deal there looks extremely unlikely because the French champions are unwilling to let the German leave until at least the summer.
Therefore, with both Tuchel and Rangnick not currently available for the role, this has left Wenger as the front runner for the job. As reported on Tuesday, the Frenchman was coy when pressed directly on the matter of succeeding Kovac as Bayern boss by beIN SPORTS, but he did insist that he missed coaching.
Recent developments though suggest that Wenger is in line to return to management and if he is appointed in the coming days, he will be tasked with firstly hauling in Borussia Monchengladbach at the top of the Bundesliga and then secondly delivering European success come May.
Source : 90min