Harry Kane admits to 'sadness' at Bayern Munich's decision to axe 'top manager' Thomas Tuchel amid troubled season... after England captain made it 31 goals for the club
- Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich defeated RB Leipzig 2-1 on Saturday night
- Afterwards, England striker expressed his sadness at Tuchel leaving in summer
- Xabi Alonso is smart and will do what's best for him. He won't make an emotional decision about his next managerial job - Listen to the It's All Kicking Off podcast
Harry Kane has praised outgoing Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel after he was axed this week.
The England captain - who took his season's goal tally to 27 in the Bundesliga with a crucial double in Saturday's 2-1 win over RB Leipzig - described Tuchel as a 'top manager and a really good guy.'
Former Chelsea boss Tuchel, 50, will depart the Allianz Arena at the end of the season, with the announcement coming after Bayern lost 3-0 to title rivals Bayer Leverkusen, 1-0 to Lazio in the Champions League last-16 and 3-2 to Bochum.
They returned to winning way on Saturday night thanks to Kane's two goals but remain eight points behind Xabi Alonso's impressive Leverkusen team.
Speaking about Tuchel's departure, Kane said on ESPN: 'The club made a decision. We players have to show our responsibility to the manager, our responsibility to the club, to give everything we have for the season.
![Harry Kane has spoken of his 'sadness' after Bayern Munich sacked Thomas Tuchel, with the coach set to leave at the end of the season](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/25/14/81695899-13123767-image-m-186_1708873128313.jpg)
Harry Kane has spoken of his 'sadness' after Bayern Munich sacked Thomas Tuchel, with the coach set to leave at the end of the season
![The England captain has thrived in his first season at Bayern, scoring 31 goals so far](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/25/15/81695945-13123767-image-a-196_1708873231772.jpg)
The England captain has thrived in his first season at Bayern, scoring 31 goals so far
'We knew as players we haven't been performing as well as we can. You can't just sit there and talk about it.
'You have to fight and work hard at every moment and that's what we did today.'
The striker added: 'Of course we have sadness because he's a top manager and a really good guy.
'The club made a decision to part ways in the summer and that's football.
'We've got good characters. That's all we can do, keep working, keep pushing.'
Reflecting on last week's news, Tuchel told Sportstudio: 'I won't give any details about the face-to-face conversation.
'But in the end I'm an employee. And employees don't always have all the options, they don't always have all the trump cards in their hands.
'But everything's fine. It doesn't matter at all how I deal with the decision. I'm in a leadership role, I have responsibility for the entire staff. It's top level sports, we'll fight for every point. Sensitivities are put aside.'
![Kane scored a late winner as Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 2-1 on Saturday night](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/25/15/81695949-13123767-image-a-197_1708873303163.jpg)
Kane scored a late winner as Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 2-1 on Saturday night
![Bayern remain eight points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen despite the win](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/25/15/81695963-13123767-image-a-198_1708873320274.jpg)
Bayern remain eight points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen despite the win
The former Chelsea boss - who only joined the club in March 2023 - has a deal that runs until June 2025 however the Bavarian side have opted to cut that short by a year.
BILD claimed that Kane was at the centre of a dressing room chasm in Munich as Tuchel's reign in Bavaria crumbled.
The report claims that six key players - including Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka - fall into an anti-Tuchel camp, with six others in support of him.
Kane, Eric Dier and Leroy Sane are all part of the player group who approve of Tuchel's authority at Bayern.
Mail Sport understand that Alonso is Bayern's primary target to replace the German boss.
Alonso, who is contracted until June 2026, was appointed by Leverkusen in October 2022 and in his first season steered them out of the drop zone and to a sixth-placed finish. This campaign, Leverkusen remain unbeaten in the top-flight.
![Xabi Alonso is likely to be on Bayern's shortlist to replace Tuchel, with Liverpool also interested](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/25/15/81695977-13123767-image-a-199_1708873396973.jpg)
Xabi Alonso is likely to be on Bayern's shortlist to replace Tuchel, with Liverpool also interested
He played for Bayern between 2014 and 2017 under Pep Guardiola and won three Bundesliga titles, one German Cup and one German Super Cup.
After Jurgen Klopp sensationally announced he would step down as Liverpool head coach at the end of the season, Alonso is among the favourites for the vacancy.