Bayern in or out on Rice? (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk via @iMiaSanMia)
On Monday, we saw the story break from Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg that Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel and West Ham defensive midfielder Declan Rice were embroiled in talks…informal talks, but discussions nonetheless.
Sport Bild’s Christian Falk, however, indicated that former sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić was one of the driving forces behind the club’s pursuit of Rice. In addition, Falk also said that Salihamidžić, and his cohort, technical director Marco Neppe, were the impetus for Bayern Munich’s push for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane:
Harry Kane and Declan Rice were serious transfer ideas of Hasan Salihamidžić (and Marco Neppe). Now with Brazzo gone, the new/old bosses could have other ideas and decide against these transfers due to their costs.
Will Falk’s reporting end up being correct or does Tuchel have even more power now that the club cannot risk suffering through even more upheaval? One thing is certain, this is going to be an absolutely wild stretch for the Bavarians.
BFW Fight Club: Berghuis hurls punch at “fan” (@FBAwayDays)
Ajax’s Steven Berghuis had enough of whatever this fan from FC Twente said to him:
Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 47 (Bavarian Football Works)
Well who saw that coming? We were hoping for it, but didn’t expect Bayern Munich to deliver in this manner. When it comes to the league, Borussia Dortmund bottled it at the last minute versus Mainz, basically handing us the title — BUT Bayern still had to get the job done versus Koln and they did. It was a touch and go thing, but thank god (and maybe Brazzo) for Jamal Musiala. Anyway …
In this episode, INNN and Fergus talk about the following:
- Bayern Munich were completely unconvincing versus Koln and that’s unacceptable.
- Talking about the ruthless sacking of Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic by Bayern.
- Could Bayern have an FC Barcelona moment someday?
- The pros and cons of bringing back Rummenigge and Hoeness.
- Is it a mistake to not bring in a new sporting director for the summer?
- Wait, why was Oliver Kahn FORBIDDEN from attending the Koln game? What is going at this club?
- How is history going to remember Oliver Kahn and Brazzo?
- A quick aside — would Matthias Sammer come back as sporting director?
- The deep concern about the names rumored as potential future sporting directors.
- Dark clouds hovering over the long term future of FC Bayern Munich.
- Will the sacking of Brazzo spark concerns in players like Kimmich, Musiala, and Alphonso Davies?
Kimmich gets PoY award, Pavard also gets honored (@SofaScoreINT)
Sofascore.com named its Bundesliga Team of the Season and also its Player of the Season. Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich took home the Player of the Year honors and was named to the Team of the Season with Benjamin Pavard:
Here is the complete Team of the Season:
United to make big offer on Osimhen (Corriere dello Sport via 90Min.com)
Manchester United could be readying a €150 million offer to Napoli for Victor Osimhen:
Manchester United are ready to make a bid of £130m to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer.
In addition, ESPN is reporting that Chelsea has taken focus off of Osimhen and put it on Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović, who is also on Bayern Munich’s radar:
Chelsea, who have also looked at Osimhen, have instead made Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic their top transfer target.
Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast — Season 2, Episode 46 (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich’s season will come to a disappointing end one way or the other and there is a lot to examine.
Needing a win over FC Köln, along with a loss or a draw from Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich is in danger of going trophyless for 2022/23. Let’s take a look at the hot topics for this edition of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast:
- A look at the Lucas Hernandez situation and why Bayern Munich was right to be cautious with the Frenchman despite the potential for outside interest. Can Paris Saint-Germain get a deal done to bring Hernandez back to France?
- Can a deal for West Ham’s Declan Rice get done?
- The wild ride of Dušan Vlahović rumors from this week.
- Why fan frustration is probably at an all-time high for the last decade — and it does not totally have to do with potentially finishing behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
Gunners also want Szoboszlai (The Sun)
Arsenal FC is keeping a close on both Declan Rice and RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai:
ARSENAL will reportedly make a bid for West Ham skipper Declan Rice in June. Meanwhile, the Gunners are keeping tabs on RB Leipzig star Dominik Szoboszlai according to reports.
Elsewhere, Manchester United are reportedly interested in swooping for Marc Guehi from under Arsenal’s nose. In other news, Gunners’ left-back Kieran Tierney is attracting interest from Premier League rivals Newcastle.
PSG wants Dembele (L’Equipe via 90Min.com)
Paris Saint-Germain is working to convince FC Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele to change clubs:
Paris Saint-Germain are looking to sign Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona, with the Frenchman’s €50m release clause set to become active this summer.
According to Sport, though, Dembele wants to remain with Barca:
However, Dembele wants to remain at Barcelona and could soon sign a new contract.