Salihamidzic, Rummenigge hold secret meeting with Giovanni Branchini in Munich

Who’s ready to do some deep speculating?! If you are, you’re in luck. Per a new report from Bild+, Bayern Munich might have just held a (not so) secret meeting in Munich to discuss the club’s next long-term manager.

Per the report, Hasan Salihamidizc and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were spotted meeting up for a meal with Giovanni Branchini at Munich’s Bogenhauser Hof. Branchini played a major part in the hiring of both Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti for Bayern, and he’s also been involved in negotiations for Manchester city’s Leroy Sané. It thus is hard to see this meeting as being about anything other than Bayern’s search for new long-term manager.

New club president Herbert Hainer and Uli Hoeness all but confirmed last week that Rummenigge and Salihamidzic would spearhead the search for a new manager, and Branchini has been an important mediator for the club. Ergo, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you safely bet that it is, in fact, a duck.

Is timing everything in this case?

Mauricio Pochettino was officially sacked as Tottenham Hotspur manager on Tuesday and less than 24 hours later, José Mourinho was announced as his replacement, much to the bemusement of many Spurs fans. When the short list for Bayern’s next coach emerged from the rumor mill, Pochettino’s name was on it along with Arsene Wenger, Mourinho, Erik ten Hag, Ralf Rangnick, and Massimiliano Allegri.

At the time, it seemed that the only realistic scenario involving Pochettino and Bayern would be if he accepted the job for next season, prematurely cutting his contract with Tottenham. Now, however, Pochettino is available without a transfer fee. It’s also worth mentioning that Salihamidzic has long been a fan of Pochettino’s, and has even met with him in the past when he was under contract with Spurs.

The only potential downside as it stands for Pochettino potentially managing at Bayern would be the fact that he does not speak German. However, the Bayern’s camp purportedly views speaking German less as a strict requirement and more as a collective preference. And Pochettino could theoretically have time to learn the language if he were appointed for the 2020/21 season, rather than take over immediately. But we are getting rather far ahead of ourselves.

When asked about the meeting, Rummenigge and Salihamidzic refused to comment on it.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for AUDI