According to Matt Law and The Telegraph, Chelsea are disappointed with ex-boss Thomas Tuchel for publicly stating his desire to bring Blues coach Anthony Barry to Bayern Munich.
Tuchel has only just started his new position, with Julian Nagelsmann sacked on Friday by the German giants.
It is Tuchel’s first role since he was sacked as Chelsea head coach in September 2022, and the German faces a tough start to life in the Bundesliga as Bayern play his former side and league leaders Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in Der Klassiker.
He also faces current Premier League champions Manchester City in the Champions League next month, the side he beat in the final nearly two years ago to lift Europe’s most esteemed prize.
But while Tuchel looks to get big results for Bayern early in his tenure, work is going on off the pitch to make sure that he is set up for success – work which has already upset his former club.
Tuchel’s past with the Chelsea coach
When Tuchel was appointed Chelsea boss in January 2021, Arno Michels and Zsolt Low joined him in the Stamford Bridge dugout as part of his coaching staff.
Barry had previously been a part of the previous regime under Frank Lampard, having joined the setup for the 2020 season, and he then stayed on after the former England midfielder was sacked.
The coach became a key part of Tuchel’s backroom staff, and the German manager praised his colleague when Barry accepted a position in the Republic of Ireland setup, labelling him a “top quality” coach.
Together, they went on to lift the Champions League trophy, as well as the Club World Cup and the Super Cup.
But Barry remained at Chelsea after Tuchel, Michels and Low were sacked from their positions, and he has continued his coaching development with Graham Potter.
What has Tuchel said?
The English coach has also taken up roles alongside Roberto Martinez, first as part of the Belgium squad for the World Cup and then recently with the Portugal national side last month.
Working for three different national teams as well as Chelsea shows how highly rated Barry is, and he clearly left an impression on Tuchel who now wants to add him to his new coaching staff at Bayern.
Speaking after he was appointed as the new head coach for the Bundesliga champions, Tuchel said: “My coaching staff wasn’t prepared either, so a big thank you to their families for their flexibility.
“Arno Michels and Zsolt Low, who have been working with me for over 10 years, will be there. We’re hoping to add Anthony Barry, who is currently at Chelsea.”
But Tuchel’s public admission that he wants to bring Barry to the Allianz Arena has reportedly left Chelsea disappointed.
The Telegraph confirms that Chelsea have received an approach for Barry and also revealed that the coach was interested in linking up with his former boss again.
However, the club was upset by Tuchel’s public comments, even though they reportedly know that they face a battle to keep the highly-rated coach at Stamford Bridge.
Should Barry leave the west London club after nearly three years, he could make a return later this season though.
If Chelsea beat Real Madrid and Bayern beat Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the two sides would face each other in the semi-finals, and Tuchel could potentially be the man to end his former sides’ European ambitions.
