Thomas Tuchel wants to heap more misery on Graham Potter by bringing Chelsea's assistant boss Anthony Barry to Bayern Munich.
Tuchel was announced as Bayern's new manager on Friday following Julian Nagelsmann's exit, with the team one point behind leaders Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table. It is Tuchel's first job in management since he was dismissed by Chelsea in September.
The German's successor at Stamford Bridge, Potter, has struggled to pick up results this season. Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League table and could soon be without one the architects of their Champions League final victory against Manchester City in May 2021.
Tuchel revealed his plans to hire Barry, who has worked for the Blues since the summer of 2020, at his unveiling on Saturday. The new Bayern manager told reporters, "We're hoping to add Anthony Barry, who is currently at Chelsea."
Tuchel has already confirmed two members of his backroom staff. He said, "My coaching staff wasn't prepared either, so a big thank you to their families for their flexibility. Arno Michels and Zsolt Low, who have been working with me for over 10 years, will be there."
Barry, 36, played for the likes of Accrington, Yeovil, Wrexham, Fleetwood and Forest Green Rovers as a midfielder during his playing days. He moved into coaching after hanging up his boots in the summer of 2017 and has quickly climbed the ladder.
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Barry spent three years working alongside Paul Cook at Wigan before Frank Lampard brought him to Stamford Bridge. He remained part of Chelsea's backroom staff after Tuchel succeeded Lampard in January 2021 and when Potter walked through the door.
Barry also coaches at international level. He was part of the Republic of Ireland's set-up under Stephen Kenny before becoming Belgium's assistant manager in February 2022. At the time, Belgium were top of the world rankings under Roberto Martinez.
Barry left Belgium after their unsuccessful World Cup campaign and is now working alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias as Portugal's assistant manager. Martinez was appointed by Belgium at the start of 2023, of course.
Bayern's decision to replace Nagelsmann with Tuchel stunned European football. Although Bayern are behind Dortmund in the Bundesliga title race, they have knocked out Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
"Things went quickly," admitted Tuchel at his unveiling. "The timing was surprising, I didn't expect it and there was no contact beforehand. I assumed that I would continue my career abroad. The first interview was on Tuesday evening."
Bayern's CEO Oliver Khan paid tribute to Nagelsmann when the news was confirmed. He said, "We have come to the conclusion that the quality in our squad - despite the Bundesliga title last year - has come to the fore less and less often... I would like to thank Julian and his coaching team, and wish everyone the best of luck for the future."
