The experienced Dutchman has been sacked just 24 hours after Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Nurnberg.  The point leaves Bayern fourth in the Bundesliga and most importantly for the prestigious club struggling to qualify for next seasons Champions league. This disappointing season follows last terms league title and a Champions league final.

The club have placed Van Gaal’s assistant Andries Jonker in temporary charge until the end of the season.  Jupp Heynckes the current Bayer Leverkusen coach will take over the reins when this season comes to a close.

A club statement about the situation was released, “The board, director of sport and president of FC Bayern took this decision together, after the 1-1 draw in Nurnberg yesterday and the renewed slide to fourth in the table, and with the threat of missing out on the minimum aim of a place in the Champions League next season, this decision was taken in FC Bayern’s best interests.”

Fellow members of the coaching staff including Frans Hoek, Jos van Dijk and Max Reckers have also been released by the club.

Sources- BBC Sport  and Sky Sports News

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Bayern Munich coach Louis Van Gaal said he will take a year off to consider his options after agreeing to leave the German champions at the end of the season.

The 59-year-old Dutchman’s contract was due to run out in 2012 but he agreed in a meeting on Monday that he would depart at the end of the current campaign after Bayern slipped to fifth in the Bundesliga standings.

“I plan to have a sabbatical year starting in the summer. It is sad that I cannot continue my work here,” Van Gaal told reporters on Friday ahead of Saturday’s match against Hamburg SV. “Maybe it is better for the club now that I am going.”

Van Gaal had shown interest in taking over a national team after he was done at Bayern but said so far “unfortunately no one has called.”

“I came to Bayern because it is a top team,” the former Barcelona, Ajax Amsterdam and Netherlands coach said. “I love this culture, I love the fans and the fans love me. That is why I am sad I cannot continue here.”

After winning the domestic double and reaching the Champions League final last year, Van Gaal extended his contract to 2012 in September.

However, a poor domestic season and a 3-1 defeat at Hanover 96 on Saturday, Bayern’s third consecutive loss in all competitions and their worst losing run since 2000, sealed his fate.

Despite their German Cup exit, also last week, Bayern are still in the Champions League, facing Inter Milan in the return leg of their last 16 tie next week after winning 1-0 in Italy.

“I want to leave the club with my pride intact. I hope I can leave through the main entrance because we are talking about my honour,” he said.

It was not only on the pitch that Van Gaal had problems. He was involved in a very public war of words earlier this season with club president Uli Hoeness who called Van Gaal a “one-man show” saying he would never take any advice.

On Friday he took a swipe at Bayern’s bosses saying: “Bayern Munich is bigger than Van Gaal but also bigger than the club board.”

Sorce: Fourfourtwo

So Van Gaal is not the first manager who wants time off to recharge his batteries – but few very rarely do.

The top managers are workaholics and are never satisfied lying on a beach. This is why they always claim to ‘be eager for a new challenge’.

But where will the next challenge for Van Gaal come from?

Well that depends on how the domestic seasons pan out across Europe.

Chelsea is an option and there have been rumours circulating as much.

If Carlo Ancelotti is sacked, or leaves for Roma, van Gaal has all the right CV for Roman Abramovich.

He has won the Dutch (Ajax, AZ Alkmaar), Spanish (Barcelona) and German (Bayern Munich) league titles.

He even won the Champions Leaguen with Ajax, albeit 16 years ago.

But does he have the style and flair to impress the Russian oligarch?

Manchester City is another option as Roberto Mancini will surely be sacked if he does not win Champions League football for his Abu Dhabi-doo owners.

And if they are willing to put up with Mancini’s pragmatic approach, then van Gaal will look like Johan Cruyff.

A move to Italy and Ac Milan could be on offer if their season does not end with the Serie A trophy.

Or perhaps a move to a national team is what the 59-year-old is after. Odds on replacing Fabio Capello anyone?

Offers will not be in short supply to the Dutchman but would you like to see him at your club or do you know where he is best suited?

Let us know your thoughts…

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Bayern Munich manager Louis Van Gaal has emerged as a likely replacement for Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti who is reportedly ready to quit Stamford Bridge for a move to join Roma this summer. The Allianz Arena boss has announced today that he will leave his Bavarian club at the end of the season after a down turn in form left the Bundesliga title holders in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification.

There has been much speculation of a falling out between Blues owner Roman Abramovich and boss Ancelotti and the recent resignation of Claudio Ranieri at Roma has led many to believe that caretaker boss Vincenzo Montella is merely keeping the manager’s seat warm for the Italian who enjoyed a successful eight year spell as a player at the Stadio Olimpico during which time he captained the Giallorossi to a Scudetto and a European Cup Final in 1984.

Van Gaal has stunning credentials during his twenty year managerial career, during which time he has picked up seven league titles across three leagues, as well as a Champions League success with Ajax in 1995 and also helped Bayern Munich to a domestic double in his first season in charge of the club.

A move to the Premier League may well appeal to the 59 year old Amsterdam boss but there may be some who question how the overly confident boss would work with Abramovich and there would undoubtedly be a chance of a clash of personalities similar to the one that ended Jose Mourinho’s time at the club.

However Van Gaal’s experience and success appears to be tempting the West London side as they look to replace exit bound Ancelotti.

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Bayern Munich will part company from their coach Louis Van Gaal at the end of the season.

The news will alert the chairmen of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Liverpool’s American owners will wait until the summer before deciding on Kenny Dalglish’s role at the club despite the promising start he has made.

NESV are worried Dalglish will not attract the big-name players from continental Europe but they want to keep the fan-favourite on their side so will offer him an ambassadorial role.

Manchester City’s owners will sack Roberto Mancini if the Italian does not deliver Champions League football next season opening the door for van Gaal to come to the Premier League.

Van Gaal’s job has been under-threat since last weekend’s loss to Hannover, following defeats in the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund and in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals to Schalke.

The Dutchman’s current deal which is due to end next summer will be dissolved 12 months early with Bayern citing a ‘difference in opinion about the strategic direction of the club’.

The club’s board met with Van Gaal this morning and they appear to have come to a mutual decision to go their separate ways ending almost 48 hours of speculation regarding Van Gaal’s position.

Reports had emerged claiming he had been sacked yesterday but the Bundesliga champions changed their minds citing a lack of suitable replacements.

The decision to keep van Gaal until the summer means there will be minimal disruption to their Champions League campaign, with the Germans leading Inter Milan 1-0 after the first leg.

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Liverpool will reportedly use off form and out of favour England international Glen Johnson in an attempt to persuade Bayern Munich to hand them striker Mario Gomez. Roy Hodgson has been trailing the 25 year old German international for a few months now and believes that offering the right back he may convince Louis Van Gaal to sell them the former Stuttgart man.

Way back in late August Gomez had appeared to be keen to leave the Allianz Arena and had stated that Anfield would be a preferred destination but in contrast to last term when the front man was struggling for form and by no means a regular starter, the powerful target man has been in great form, making it very hard to Van Gaal to replace him with the likes of bench warmers Ivica Olic and Miroslav Klose.

Gomez has hit an incredible 19 goals from 23 appearances, including a succession of hat-tricks in both the Bundesliga and Champions League action. Such form may make it distinctly harder for the Merseyside club to snap up the in form striker.

However Bayern Munich are reportedly very concerned with the ineffectiveness of their back four and a long with moves to bring in Everton full back Leighton Baines but appear to also have their sights set on Glen Johnson.

The Bavarian side may struggle to accept such a deal given the recent good form shown by Mario Gomez but that will not stop Liverpool from making such an offer and van Gaal may well consider his options and may look to capture Glen Johnson in a straight cash deal.

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Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery hit back on Tuesday at recent criticism from coach Louis Van Gaal, saying he needed more trust from the Dutchman and more time on the pitch.

Van Gaal blasted Ribery in the media last week, saying the French international midfielder was not working hard enough following a seven-week injury lay-off.

Ribery, who earlier this year signed a contract extension with the Bavarians until 2015, said he was very disappointed to hear the comments and suggested the coach should have spoken to him directly.

“I give it all I have and do everything to be fit again,” Ribery told Germany’s Sky television in an interview to be broadcast later on Tuesday. “But if the coach always talks badly about you, if he keeps dragging you down then it becomes difficult.

“I was very disappointed to see his comments in the media. I would prefer for him to say it to me directly.” (Reuters)

For those wondering what van Gaal said to flare Ribery’s temper, it resulted from criticism of the Frenchman’s performance in a friendly match arranged especially to aid his return to fitness.

The Bayern Munich manager said, “He did not put in any effort and showed no commitment. That is a shame.”

“None of them put in much effort but least of all Ribery. He caused no confusion at all.”

The trouble with player power in the modern game is that once you bruise a footballer’s ego, he knows that someone will gladly massage it elsewhere.

There are certain things that can bring a player’s price down: a long-term injury, a soon-to-expire contract or unhappiness at his current club.

Ribery signed a new contract at Bayern Munich in May 2010, ending rumours that he was set to leave for as little as £15m – or as much as £80m!

At that point, he was one of the stars of world football, but a prostitution scandal and poor showing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which resulted in his suspension have affected his status.

If he is disillusioned with life in Germany under van Gaal though, he could force through a move – and there will only ever be one winner there.

Chelsea and Real Madrid were both strongly linked with the player prior to his contract extension, and will almost certainly be interested again.

As long as he works hard to reach his form prior to his injury, of course.

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Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will not be sold even if he does not sign a contract extension past 2012, club CEO Karl-heinz Rummenigge said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters prior to the team’s departure for their Champions League match away to AS Roma on Tuesday, Rummenigge said the midfielder would remain in Munich until 2012 even if it meant losing him on a free transfer.

“I have always said that we really want to extend Bastian’s contract and that is what we are working on,” Rummenigge said.

“He is one of our most important players, if not the most important one. But if (a contract extension) does not happen then he will certainly stay at Bayern until June 30, 2012. He will not leave before that date.”

Schweinsteiger has played a key role in the past few years and last season was instrumental in helping them to a domestic double and the Champions League final.

The 26-year-old has also grown into a leading figure for the national team, steering Germany to a third place finish at the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.

Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal recently urged the club to consider selling Schweinsteiger at the end of the season should he refuse to sign an extension so as not to lose out on a transfer fee worth tens of millions of euros.

The player, who has been at Bayern since the age of 14 and has won five German championships and German Cups, has hinted he could leave when his contract runs out or even before it with several top European clubs reported to have an interest in signing him. (Yahoo Eurosport)

Bayern Munich are one of the best run clubs in the world financially speaking, and are unlikely to be forced to sell Bastian Schweinsteiger because of money. Common business sense though would be to take as much as they can though – if the player does not want to commit to a new contract at the Allianz Arena.

However, what is clear from Rummenigge’s statement is that the club believes that they can convince him to stay.

If that proves not to be the case, the board may begin to see the coach’s point of view, and Chelsea and Manchester United are both certain to be interested.

Louis Van Gaal said that he would accept €30m for Schweinsteiger.

Neither Carlo Ancelotti nor Sir Alex Ferguson are likely to want to pay that much and would be hopeful of negotiating that fee down.

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Reports in Germany have claimed that Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich, are preparing an audacious bid for top Everton left back Leighton Baines. The Everton defender has however just signed a new deal to keep him at Goodison Park until at least 2015 meaning Munich will need to stump up a lot of cash to make Toffees boss David Moyes even think about it.

Baines is very good player in both attack and defence, and whilst Bayern have Philip Lahm, who can play on both sides, they are on the look out for a specialist in that left back position who is not prone to injuries.

Bayern are having a very poor start to the season and it is believed that manager Louis Van Gaal wants to bolster his defence next summer so not to have the same poor start as this season. Baines remains to be one of the Premiership’s best left backs although one cannot really see him joining the Bundesliga at this early stage in his career.

News that Bayern are looking for a left back will also push the rumour mill to the limit that maybe one of their current players will be heading in the other direction. With most players having been mentioned during the last few months one could take a pick of many.

Everton have also had a poor start to their season in the Premiership and are currently just above the drop zone, despite playing well they only just found that winning touch with last weeks 2-0 victory against Birmingham. (FootyLatest)

This would be a bit of a shock move if it were to go through, but it could make sense for both Bayern Munich and Leighton Baines.

Baines is a solid left-back who would be more than capable of doing a job at the German giants, whilst he could be persuaded by the lure of Champions League football and the chance to play for one of the biggest clubs on the planet.

That being said, Everton manager David Moyes would not let him leave without a fight. The Goodison Park boss will demand a huge transfer fee if Bayern’s reported interest is confirmed. Everton have made an unconvincing start to this season’s Premier League campaign, and cannot afford to lose any of their key players.

The Rumour

Real Madrid and Chelsea are hot on the trail to sign French winger Franck Ribery and Manchester City are paying close attention. Chelsea reportedly offered Bayern Munich £43m but Real Madrid appear willing to outdo them with a bigger bid. To land the Frenchman, City might have to break the world record transfer fee of £48m that was paid for Zinedine Zidane.

The Source: (The Independent)

The Analysis

In a desperate attempt to break the top four monopoly it appears that Mark Hughes has unlimited wealth at his disposal in order to restructure his Man City squad, the problem will be of course be persuading some players that the club is indeed going places and not just wildly flinging money at the issue.

Franck Ribery will be seething after seeing his Bayern Munich side tumble out of the Champions League and failed to retain their Bundesliga crown but the club do now have a great manager at the tiller with Louis Van Gaal in situ after Jurgen Klinsmann was axed so the French international may feel his future is still in Germany?

The Eastlands side would be better off trying to pull of intelligent moves for players who are likely to be up for the challenge such as Vincent Kompany and Nigel De Jong.

The Likelihood

Ribery to Man City: Not in a million years.

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The former FC Barcelona coach is quoted as saying:

He is a Dutch citizen, and he has experience. But he would prefer to remain at Blackburn Rovers.

Well, maybe van Gaal must now try and understand that not every player would like to leave the Premiership and play in the Dutch first division.

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