Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has said he is not expecting to enter talks over a new contract until after the end of the season.
Tuchel is just over half way through his second full season at Dortmund, who he joined from Mainz in June 2015, and his side are 12 points behind leaders Bayern Munich in sixth in the Bundesliga table.
He guided Dortmund to a second-place finish in 2015-16, but they have claimed only one win from their last six competitive games.
Despite his side's struggles, Tuchel insisted he was not concerned about securing a new contract, saying the club's directors know that mid-season is not the best time to open discussions with him.
He told WDR Radio : "I expect them to respect the fact that I am an extremely bad negotiating partner during the season.
"I am relaxed. I'm only half way through my contract."
Tuchel will take his side to Werder Bremen when the Bundesliga season resumes after its mid-season break, before a difficult away game against former club Mainz.
He said: "We want to qualify for the Champions League at least under the top three, and we want to qualify directly.
"We have a lot to do."
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