Julian Nagelsmann appeared to confirm rumours that he is not a contender to replace Graham Potter as Chelsea’s head coach.
As the German powerhouses attempt to fight off Borussia Dortmund’s bid for their Bundesliga crown, Nagelsmann was unexpectedly fired by Bayern Munich last month. Thomas Tuchel took his place.
Nagelsmann gained a lot of supporters during his excellent tenures with Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before guiding Bayern to the Bundesliga championship last season. As a result, Nagelsmann was instantly mentioned as a possible long-term replacement for Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge.
Nagelsmann reportedly held talks with Chelsea over taking the job at the end of the campaign, but widespread reports on Friday suggested he had withdrawn from the running.
Asked about those reports by Sky Sports in Germany, Nagelsmann said: “To cancel something, you have to commit to something.”
Chelsea sit 11th in the Premier League table after failing to win any of their past five games in the competition, their most recent league victory coming against Leicester City under Potter on March 11.
Since appointing Frank Lampard as caretaker manager until the end of the season, Chelsea have lost four successive games across all competitions, a run that saw them eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Nagelsmann could still be set for a move to the Premier League, however, with the 35-year-old being linked with Tottenham as they search for a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte.
He has also been suggested as a potential candidate to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, though the Italian recently said he has no intention of leaving Los Blancos at the end of the season despite links with Brazil.