Tuchel responds to Bayern Munich fans' petition to KEEP him at the club

Outgoing Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has responded to the German side's fans setting up a petition for him to stay at the club.

The former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager was handed his marching orders at the end of February after overseeing a turbulent 10 months with the serial champions.

The club were unable to claim their 12th consecutive Bundesliga title in the face of Xabi Alonso's ascendant Bayer Leverkusen side, and had been knocked out of the German Cup with just the Champions League left to contest.

Bayern were set to chase Alonso in a bid to appoint him as their new manager, but he has opted to stay at Leverkusen and Tuchel's side have been unable to nail down a successor in the weeks that have followed.

In response, the club's fans have started a petition to force their club to renege on their decision to sack Tuchel - which has received over 12,000 signatures - and the German has now responded.

'Even though this topic is good for me when they [the fans] wish you to stay, it's not something that is a priority,' Tuchel said, speaking prior to Bayern's game against Frankfurt on Saturday.

'It isn't allowed to be a priority. In the next 11 days it's only about football, nothing else. Whether it's pleasant or unpleasant, I don't allow myself to be influenced by it.'

The change.org petition has gathered pace since its launch on Tuesday. It calls for the club to spurn other candidates and take another look at Tuchel's achievements with an 'injury-plagued' side.

'FC Bayern decided to dismiss Thomas Tuchel in the summer after the defeat against VFL Bochum. What an atrocious decision!' the petition's statement begins.

'Thomas Tuchel, also known as "Juppel," never had it easy in Munich. Despite the negative