Sadio Mane, a former Liverpool star, may have played a role in Tottenham’s manager search after allegedly having a ‘furious’ spat with Julian Nagelsmann before he was sacked by Bayern Munich
Nagelsmann is one of the front-runners to replace Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur.
Mane made a major career decision last summer when he left Liverpool after six years to join Bayern Munich in a £35 million deal. He has also maintained his impressive goal-scoring output this season, with 16 in all competitions for club and country.
Injuries have kept him from dominating the Bundesliga, but he was fit and firing ahead of Bayern’s 2-0 second-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, which advanced them to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite this, Nagelsmann chose to keep Mane on the bench until the 82nd minute, which did not sit well with the Senegalese.
According to Bild, Mane confronted Nagelsmann in front of the Bayern locker room, leaving the manager ‘intimidated’ by a situation that appears out of character for a player known for his humble demeanor.
Hasan Salihamidzic, Bayern’s sporting director, has already explained how disciplinary issues played a role in Nagelsmann’s surprise dismissal, which came after the German giants were defeated by Bayer Leverkusen on March 19.
“Of course, there were issues — and we had a few discipline issues,” he admitted to Sport1. “Julian Nagelsmann is an excellent coach. But there were a few issues.”
Bayern Munich has since hired former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, freeing Nagelsmann to pursue his next managerial opportunity. According to reports, he wants to take a break and reflect on what went wrong at the Allianz Arena, but Tottenham are rumored to be hot on his tail for a summer appointment.
Tottenham have already made a short-term decision by appointing Ryan Mason and Cristian Stellini as interim managers until the end of the season. Conte was fired during the international break after criticizing his players and attacking Tottenham’s owners.
The north London club will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League this season, which would undoubtedly help their case with Nagelsmann, with Newcastle United and Liverpool also vying for fourth place.
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