Newly appointed Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday he was surprised to be offered the position.
Tuchel, 49, has replaced the sacked Julien Nagelsmann in charge of their sixth Champions League triumph.
Nagelsmann lost his job at the German champions on Friday with the Bavarians second in the table but he has guided them to next month’s quarter-finals of Europe’s top-level competition.
Tuchel, was sacked by Chelsea in September despite leading them to the 2021 Champions League and spoke to the Bayern boss on Tuesday.
“Believe it or not, I was a bit surprised in the first 30 seconds of our discussion,” Tuchel told reporters.
“I don’t understand what he said. It becomes clear that it is for now.
“I was very surprised. It was a surprise at that time. There was no previous contact,” added the former Paris Saint-Germain boss.
Tuchel’s first game will come on April 1 after the international break.
Bayern will meet league leaders Borussia Dortmund, the club Tuchel led from 2015-2017 before leaving for PSG.
“This is a (big) match in German football,” he said.
“It has another level of importance,” he added.