Julian Nagelsmann’s relationship with reporter Lena Wurzenberger lost him the trust of the Bayern Munich dressing room, according to club legend Markus Babbel.
Nagelsmann was this week sacked by the Bundesliga giants and replaced by ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. His axing came as a surprise to the wider football community as he’d lost just three league games this season and had reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
But it seems off-field issues could have also been in play – namely Wurzenberger, who works for German sports news outlet Bild. She began dating Nagelsmann last year after he split from wife of 15 years Verena.
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And while she was taken off of Bayern coverage by her employer, it’s been claimed she was a “big problem” amongst the squad.
Babbel, who also played for Liverpool during his played career, told Blick: “I know his relationship with the Bild reporter is a huge topic in the dressing room.
“It didn’t go over well at all that he was with her. His girlfriend was therefore a big problem for Bayern.
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“There was a breach of trust because some players just weren’t able to communicate what they were thinking anymore because they were afraid that everything would end up in the newspaper.”
Nagelsmann and Wurzenberger were first snapped together holidaying on a yacht in Ibiza last summer and have since become very public with their relationship. She’s been in the stands at the Allianz Arena on a number of occasions this season.
Following Nagelsmann’s exit, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported Wurzenberger will be leaving Bild at the end of the month. The pair had to cut their skiing trip in the Austrian Zillertal short to return to Germany.
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