Six months after Stan Collymore suggested Thomas Tuchel could replace Eddie Howe at Newcastle, the German has got himself a new job.
Tuchel has been out of work since being relieved of his duties as Chelsea manager in September, but is now making his return to management.
Bayern Munich have sacked Julian Nagelsmann, and are replacing him with the former Borussia Dortmund and PSG boss.
It is a huge shock in German football, with Bayern still challenging for the Bundesliga title and preparing for a Champions League quarter final clash with Manchester City.
Tuchel has been confirmed as the man to replace Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena, and has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Bavarians.
Stan Collymore thought Thomas Tuchel might go to Newcastle
It is a huge move for Tuchel. A German manager taking charge of the biggest club in Germany. Bayern Munich are among the world’s elite, and Tuchel is going to be the new man tasked with managing them.
It is a far cry from what Stan Collymore predicted for the 49-year-old shortly after he was sacked by Chelsea and replaced by Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge.
“I don’t see him automatically getting one of the big European jobs any time soon,” he told the Sunday People (September 11th, 2022).
“Maybe in Italy, a Juventus or one of the Milan clubs might be looking to make a change during the World Cup and they will be interested.
“But he can’t hang around too long for fear of becoming yesterday’s man and I wonder if his most likely destination will be one of our B+ clubs, such as Newcastle, West Ham or Aston Villa.
“Eddie Howe, David Moyes and Steven Gerrard could well be the ones looking over their shoulders and their clubs could afford to pay Tuchel £8million-£10million-a-year. The fact they could all offer a long-term project as well might tick boxes for him because the pressure wouldn’t be what it has been at Chelsea. Time will tell, but don’t be surprised if we see him again sometime soon.”
Odd prediction
It was a very odd prediction from Collymore, and one that has proven to be completely wrong. One of the big European jobs is going to be his, while Eddie Howe has absolutely no reason to be looking over his shoulder.
Aston Villa did approach him about replacing Gerrard, but he said no.
As for Newcastle, the Toon owners have absolutely no reason to replace Howe. Outsiders will always look to the club’s newfound wealth and believe it will lead to Hollywood arrivals, but that has proven not to be the case.
Tuchel has been linked with the Newcastle job in the past, but he is now set to take charge of Bayern Munich. That will be of no interest to the Toon hierarchy, as everyone at St James’ Park is delighted that Howe is calling the shots.
This isn’t the only crazy Newcastle-related prediction Collymore has made in recent months. It was not too long ago that he stated the Magpies would consider sacking Howe if he finishes in the top four and qualifies for the Champions League so they could bring in someone with European experience.
That is a very real possibility, with Newcastle still in the Champions League hunt. However, there is no chance Howe will be receiving his p45, no matter what happens.
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