Daily Schmankerl: Atalanta’s Rasmus Højlund not on Bayern Munich’s radar yet; Another rumor linking Bayern to…

Højlund not yet a serious consideration at Bayern (@Plettigoal)

According to Sky Sport’s Florian Plettenberg, Atalanta striker Rasmus Højlund is not a serious option at Bayern Munich right now.

Sure, that could change at some point, but as of now it seems like Bayern Munich will direct its efforts to find a new striker elsewhere:

Højlund is a player who could be intriguing, but could also present some risk. Bayern Munich cannot afford to take chances on its next striker. If the club even sniffs that Højlund might have flaws in his game that cannot be fixed or that he cannot handle the pressure and attention of club the size of Bayern Munich, it is likely they would not consider the striker any time soon.

Another story linking Bayern to Zaha (Ed Aarons of The Guardian)

A couple of weeks ago, we saw a story linking Bayern Munich to Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, which made little sense. Given the speculation that the Bavarians are looking to potentially lose Serge Gnabry and/or Sadio Mané, now it makes a little more sense.

However, Bayern Munich is not alone Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, AS Roma, Paris Saint-Germain, and Olympique Marseille are also interested in the attacker:

I want zero parts of spending €45 million for Zaha if I am Bayern Munich.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. Hertha Berlin (Bavarian Podcast Works)

Just a couple of months ago, it appeared unlikely that Bayern Munich would still be playing meaningful games at this point of the season.

Now, the team is fight for its Bundesliga life.

Sitting in second place, the Bavarians will have to fend off a hapless Hertha Berlin side, in hopes of not totally burying itself in the league. Let’s take a look at wat we have on tap for this episode:

A look at the Bundesliga standing and the recent form of both teams.
A complete guess at what Thomas Tuchel might do with his lineup for this match.
Some thoughts on how this is all unraveling and why it might not be easy to find a solution.

Roster casualties galore at United? (The Mirror via 90Min.com)

That massive overhaul we previously heard about might really be happening at Manchester United:

Manchester United could axe as many as 12 first-team squad members ahead of the 2023/24 season, with Harry Maguire, David de Gea and Anthony Martial all in danger of being forced out at Old Trafford.

Mané to…London? (The Express)

Speaking of Sadio Mané, the Bayern Munich attacker could be on his way to Arsenal FC — if Emmanuel Frimpong has his way:

Arsenal have been urged to bring former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane back to the Premier League this summer. Former Gunners star Emmanuel Frimpong believes Mikel Arteta’s side would be powerful if he added Mane to his attacking regiment.
Frimpong believes Mane’s availability is an opportunity too good for Arsenal to turn down if they’re on the hunt for attacking firepower. He told Lord Ping: “Sadio Mane would be a great signing for Arsenal, especially with the young players that we have. He will be able to play on the wings or down the middle.
“We have players like Trossard, Martinelli and Saka, and if we had Mane in the mix to get us through tough competitions, we would be powerful. I can imagine Sadio Mane in an Arsenal shirt, for sure.”

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 42 (Bavarian Football Works)

So in about three weeks, Bayern Munich have been knocked out of both competitions and are no longer leaders in the Bundesliga. The football is dire and coach Thomas Tuchel seems to lack any answers. The majority of the questions, however, will be directed at the men at the top — Oliver Kahn, Herbert Hainer, and Hasan Salihamidzic.

In this episode, INNN and Fergus talk about the following:

Is it time for the Bayern Munich board to go?
Who is the #1 culprit behind the current state of affairs?
The curious case of Hasan Salihamidzic and his work as a sporting director.
Oliver Kahn’s lack of vision, his role in sacking Julian Nagelsmann, and the consequences.
What does Herbert Hainer even DO?
The lingering influence of Uli Hoeness — how much power does the current board actually have?
How the absence of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is felt at all levels.
A final word on whether the board should stay or go.
Is Thomas Tuchel still the right guy for the job?
Doubts about the coach’s judgement — lineups, tactics, player selection.
What kind of transfers should Tuchel be given?
The absurd scenario: Could Julian Nagelsmann … return to Bayern Munich?
Are there any alternatives to Tuchel?
Putting the season into perspective.

Chelsea eyeing Kobel (@Plettigoal)

Chelsea FC could be keeping a close eye in Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel:

LFC drops out of Gvardiol race (Football Insider via 90Min.com)

Liverpool FC has reportedly dropped out of the race for RB Leipzig star defender Josko Gvardiol due to the price tag that the Croatian has on him from Die Roten Bullen:

Another expensive Liverpool target, RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol, is no longer a top priority amid concerns over his £80m price tag.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Rant — Mainz 3-1 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Well that’s it, Bayern Munich are cooked. The Bundesliga title is sliding out of reach, and honestly should’ve been well out of reach if any competent challenger existed in this league. What an absolute shambles. This isn’t time to mince words. The situation is really dire.

Here are our talking points from the game:

Despair. Sadness. Swearing.
How Thomas Tuchel has completely abandoned the simplicity we saw versus Borussia Dortmund.
Why can’t Bayern Munich score the second goal? The demise of the “can-opener”.
How the Thomas Tuchel DNA is already becoming visible at Bayern, and it’s not good.
Thomas Tuchel doesn’t seem to know the strengths of his squad.
Another case of awful substitutions — why sub Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich?
Calling on the board to resign on the back of this gamble, and many other mistakes.
Isn’t the squad good enough to beat Mainz? How Thomas Tuchel needs to fix this.
Let’s stop remixing failed experiments — no more back threes especially.