Thomas Tuchel will probably have to wait even longer for his desired assistant Anthony Barry – if FC Bayern even comes to an agreement with Chelsea.
How long at Chelsea? Anthony Barry.
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When Hasan Salihamidzic answered questions from journalists at Munich Airport before the trip to Manchester on Easter Monday, he was less involved on one topic than with Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola & Co. And what FC Bayern’s sports director then said was not good News for Thomas Tuchel.
At his introductory press conference more than two weeks ago, the new coach of the German record champions described it as an “absolute wish” for Anthony Barry to come to Munich as his assistant coach after Arno Michels and Zsolt Löw. Tuchel was “confident” and even prophesied: “We will start with the three assistants next week.”
Nothing came of it, and it is now apparently questionable whether it will ever happen again. Because Chelsea FC still won’t let Barry go. “We are in talks, but there is nothing new,” Salihamidzic said shortly on Monday, but then said when asked if there was hope: “No hope.” He did not comment further.
Lampard is now back in charge of Chelsea, having brought in Barry
Tuchel had come to appreciate Barry during their time together at Stamford Bridge between January 2021 and September 2022. The 36-year-old Englishman, who joined the club in the summer of 2020, stayed after Tuchel’s departure and was last part of Graham Potter’s coaching team. The Tuchel successor had spoken highly of Barry himself shortly before his release the week before last, but also explained that he was “not with us at the moment” because of the negotiations with Bavaria.
In the meantime, Frank Lampard – temporarily until the summer – is back as Chelsea coach, who brought Barry in 2020. Whether his return will affect the talks is unclear; also what role a possible Champions League semi-final between the two clubs plays. In addition to his London duties, Barry is also part of Roberto Martinez’s coaching staff in the Portuguese national team, as he had done in Belgium before.
