Thomas Tuchel is ‘the new favourite to take over from struggling Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid
Thomas Tuchel is Atletico Madrid’s first choice to replace under-pressure manager Diego Simeone, according to reports in Spain.
Simeone is the highest-paid manager in the world but his side are struggling in fifth in LaLiga and finished bottom of their Champions League group.
And as reported by Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Spanish giants view former Chelsea manager Tuchel as the perfect man to reinvigorate the ailing team.
Tuchel, 49, is without a club at the moment after being sacked as Blues boss in early September following a poor run of form.
The German has been linked with the England national team as a potential replacement for Gareth Southgate, who is leading the Three Lions into the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Tuchel recently said: ‘I loved every day at Chelsea. It came to an end too early for me, but it was out of my hands. This is also what you sign up for.’
Although Simeone – who has been in charge at the Wanda Metropolitano since 2011 – has won two LaLiga titles and two Europa League trophies, they were out of Europe by Christmas and are 13 points behind Barcelona on the domestic front.
Fichajes also claim former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is the club’s backup option if their pursuit of Tuchel fails.
Film producer Enrique Cerezo, the current Atletico president, would have considered Spain manager Luis Enrique, but the former Barcelona chief has been ruled out due to his desire to rest after leading La Roja at the World Cup.
