Julian Nagelsmann’s agent, Volker Struth, has revealed that his client was Chelsea’s top target but he turned down the chance to take over at Stamford Bridge.
Nagelsmann no longer appears to be in contention for the Tottenham job, with reports emerging last week that while the North London club’s hierarchy respect the German, they do not see him as a good fit for the role (Evening Standard).
Since then, some outlets have suggested that it was Nagelsmann who rejected Tottenham and that the club were merely trying to save face by claiming the contrary (Daily Mail).
However, other publications have insisted that the Premier League side legitimately had some doubts about the 35-year-old on the back of his experience at Bayern Munich and were put off by the fact that his backroom staff look unlikely to follow him to his next club (Sport Bild).
Nagelsmann was also linked with the Chelsea job previously but it emerged at the end of April that he had withdrawn his candidacy for the job (Fabrizio Romano).
Struth has now confirmed that this was indeed the case and that the Blues were quick to call his client after his departure from the Allianz Arena.
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He said on Bild’s podcast Phrasenmaher (as relayed by The Athletic): “I can confirm that Chelsea were quick to call (after Nagelsmann’s dismissal at Bayern Munich). There were some phone conversations.
“It was the right decision (by Nagelsmann) not to go there. It’s a club in troubled waters at the moment.
“And their transfer policy, spending a few hundred million euros, has raised expectations that need to be met. There were also some other issues.
“He was their number one (choice), that was our information. I believe it would have happened if he had wanted it.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is interesting that Struth mentions Nagelsmann rejecting Chelsea but makes no mention of Tottenham.
That perhaps suggests that he feels that the prospect of his client moving to N17 is not entirely over.
It could also mean that Spurs did not ever show concrete interest in appointing the German.
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