Interview: Hansi Flick rules out return to assistant coach; Bayern Munich discussing winter transfers

Bayern Munich’s interim solution at head coach, Hansi Flick, has thus far proven himself equal to the task. After he saw out the latter part of the Hinrunde successfully, the club decided to retain him until the end of the season. “For me, it is a very good solution — for everyone,” Flick said in a recent interview with kicker (published in part here and via Sport1).

No going back to assistant

The burning question is now who will coach the team next season. It could well be Flick, if things go his way. One contingency that will not happen, however, is a return to his secondary role as assistant coach. Flick told kicker, “I can imagine many things, but I cannot imagine that at the moment.”

Bayern Munich hired Hansi Flick on a two-year contract before the 2019/20 season, after former assistant coach Peter Herrmann departed for a new role at FC Nürnberg. It had been years since he had coached at the club level, but Flick was a key part of Jogi Löw’s staff that won the World Cup in 2014.

Flick is glad to be coaching again after a hiatus. He said, “I’m happy that I’m back in this business. For that, I’m grateful to the leadership of FC Bayern and Niko Kovac for giving me the chance to make my way back.”

Flick feels confident at Bayern; he made no secret of his wish to remain head coach should his success continue:

I feel absolute trust. There’s no reason not to continue if things go successfully. Let’s simply presume that the games and results continue to fit; and if not, the club has enough time to look around for another coach.

Since Kovac’s departure, Flick’s rapport with the players has been key to his success. He says he is having “a lot of fun, especially with the setup with this coaching staff and its support.” He emphasized his harmony with the team and the club’s ruthless winning philosophy:

Then there is working with the team. We have a really good rapport. Bayern Munich is a club with a lot of power; that’s why I like this job very much. The idea of wanting to be constantly successful suits me perfectly.

In favor of winter transfers

Part of Flick’s success-story has been his management of a depleted squad. Flick has navigated serious injuries to Bayern’s central defense with aplomb, but he argues that Bayern needs reinforcements to compete for the Bundesliga title:

It is important that the second or third backup player has the same quality. Currently, Leipzig has an advantage there, and teams like Dortmund, Gladbach, Schalke, and Leverkusen also should not be underestimated.

Flick therefore does not rule out winter transfers. Various options have been “discussed internally,” he said. If Bayern requires new players, Flick argued, “then we need players who help us immediately, not until April or May or even later.”

Bayern has consistently been rumored to pursue a right-back (such as João Cancelo or Benjamin Henrichs) to enable Joshua Kimmich to remain in the central defensive midfield and potentially also a center-back (Unai Núñez), should veteran defender Jerome Boateng leave the club while Lucas Hernandez and Niklas Süle remain sidelined by injuries.