Report: Niko Kovač sacked by AS Monaco after losing power struggle with sporting director Paul Mitchell

There is a new report stemming from Niko Kovač’s recent sacking at AS Monaco, which was confirmed by the club on January 1. While an earlier report said that Kovač was dumped for losing the locker room, Bild is reporting that Kovač’s sacking is primarily a result of falling out with the club’s sporting director Paul Mitchell.

Kovač and Mitchell both joined the club in the summer of 2020, leading Monaco to a very successful season where they finished third in Ligue 1 and were runners-up in the Coupe de France.

This past summer, Mitchell brought in a new director of performance, James Bunce, to take over fitness training for the players. Mitchell and Bunce previously worked together at Tottenham. According to Bild, “Kovač looked at Bunce’s training philosophy for a month, then decided: the training plans did not fit the rhythm of the game.” Due to playing two games in most weeks with the league, the cup, and the Europa League, Kovač abandoned Bunce’s plans which created a conflict with Mitchell. In the end, Mitchell chose his friend over Kovač.

As for how this will affect Alexander Nübel, that remains to be seen. His performances this season have been good, and he should remain the number one under the new coach. Stéphane Nado, who is the head coach of Monaco’s reserves, will take over the first team until a permanent coach is named.