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Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel steps down

By Charlie O'Connor Clarke

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 27: Head coach Thomas Tuchel of Borussia Dortmund looks on prior to the DFB Cup Final match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund at Olympiastadion on May 27, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 27: Head coach Thomas Tuchel of Borussia Dortmund looks on prior to the DFB Cup Final match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund at Olympiastadion on May 27, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /
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Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel announced he will leave this club this summer.

Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel is set to leave the club this summer, according to reports from the BBC. He’s been in charge for the past two seasons at the Westfalenstadion after his predecessor Jurgen Klopp stepped down.

Tuchel led Dortmund to a German Cup title this season as well as a third-place finish in the Bundesliga behind RB Leipzig. BVB also advanced to the quarterfinals of this year’s Champions League, which they lost to Monaco.

According to the BBC, that European knockout tie might have had something to do with Tuchel’s departure. His relationship with the club’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has apparently been tenuous since an explosion damaged the team bus en route to their home leg against Monaco.

Tuchel disagreed with the decision to play the match the next day, suggesting that his players were not ready to play, and were thus defeated 3-2 at home. He told the press that he and his players had not been consulted about the decision.

Watzke denied the incident influenced Tuchel’s decision to leave. Tuchel created a new Twitter account on Tuesday to thank Dortmund’s fans.

Dortmund are the third club Tuchel has managed, after a spell at Augsburg II and a lengthy tenure at Mainz. He was in charge of BVB for 108 games, and won 68.

Next: 10 best managers never to win the Champions League

Earlier this season, some pundits speculated that Tuchel was next in line for the top job at Arsenal, but with news of Arsene Wenger’s contract extension that theory has disappeared. The heir-apparent to Tuchel’s job at Dortmund seems to be Lucien Favre, who led French club Nice to a third-place finish in Ligue 1 and Champions League qualification.

Favre has coached in the Bundesliga before, as boss of Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2011 to 2015.

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