By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Thomas Tuchel could be free to move on in the next few weeks. While the head coach at Borussia Dortmund is facing a German Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt in Berlin on May 27, rumors are abound that it could be his last game for the yellow-blacks, as the 43-year old is said to be the hot favorite to replace Arsenal's incumbent Arsene Wenger.
According to media reports, Dortmund are interested in appointing the Swiss Lucien Favre, who is currently at OGC Nice.
Tuchel's relationship has worsened, and not only with Dortmund's club leaders but with his players too. Several reports indicate that the coach is becoming increasingly isolated within the club and his squad. Neither Dortmund nor Tuchel have denied the reports. Instead they have decided to stay silent after the cup final.
According to Dortmund's managing director and former player Michael Zorc, a meeting will decide whether Tuchel, who has a contract until 2018, will remain in charge. Zorc said football will play a role as will trust and communication. Most pundits expect Tuchel's departure as the gap between the parties seems to be too wide to be healed.
Tuchel complained the team and he had been left to fend for themselves after the bomb attack on their team bus only hours before the first leg of the Champions League duel against AS Monaco. He accused Borussia CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke of not having done enough to prevent the team from having to play only 23 hours after the attack.
The relationship between Tuchel and Watzke also deteriorated after a major row. Watzke retaliated in an interview with a local Dortmund newspaper, accusing Tuchel of a serious breach of trust one day before a league match. Pundits assumed Watzke wanted to make it clear just who is in charge of the club.
The 59-year-old Favre told German media he would be honored by an offer from Borussia Dortmund but did not go into detail.
Favre could be an ideal coach for Dortmund as he knows the German Bundesliga after working for Hertha BSC (2007 - 2009) and Borussia Moenchengladbach (2011 - 2015). The job at BVB would give him the chance to work at top Europe team as Dortmund is likely to qualify for the Champions League behind league champions Bayern Munich and runners-up RB Leipzig.
Two years ago, when Dortmund appointed Tuchel, Favre was in the final round of candidates.
Joining the German club would be a good career move for the Swiss as Nice in the long run will only get to play a supporting role in France and Europe as the national league is dominated by Paris St. Germain and AS Monaco. Currently Olympic Gymnaste Club Cot d'Azur (OGC) are lying third in the table leaving them having to qualify for the Champions League.
The Munich-based newspaper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" reported there were major difficulties between Tuchel and most of his squad. Players complained about too many tactical changes as well as an atmosphere of mistrust between team and coach. The public image of a close relationship between the two is therefore misleading the paper wrote.
Recently Dortmund president Reinhard Rauball backed Watzke as he pointed out that the CEO has long proved his worth to the club. One should have trust in Watzke as the club boss. Rauball's comments were regarded as a clear message in both Tuchel's direction and the entire club. Both top officials made it clear that the club, in the person of Watzke, had made enormous efforts to help the team through the dark hours after the bomb attack. They were however nullified by UEFA.
For the time being, Tuchel and Dortmund's club leaders are trying to ease the tension and expressed their intention to do everything to end the season on a high note in the cup final in Berlin. Then they would look for a solution to their differences. However the intention of both sides was to fulfill the existing contract.
This solution could only be Tuchel's departure, said Michael Rummenigge, brother of Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and former Dortmund player, in a recent TV football show.
Former Dortmund international Christoph Metzelder assumed the current peace treaty between Dortmund and Tuchel would be nothing more than red herring to concentrate on the culmination of the season as both Tuchel and the BVB would benefit from winning the cup. A continuation of their collaboration however was not a serious proposition.
