After much negotiating drama, Bayern Munich and center-back Dayot Upamecano are reportedly finally agreed on a new contract that will keep the French national team defender, whose contract had been due
to expire in June, in Bavaria for the foreseeable future.
It’s cause for celebration.
Is Upamecano good?
There was a time when a portion of Tottenham Hotspur fans, facing the exit of long-time star striker Harry Kane, shrugged and said things like he’s not all THAT anyway and Harry never showed up for the big games and all other manner of what, frankly, is cope. (Spurs finished 5th and 17th since Kane’s departure and currently 14th in the Premier League.)
Bayern sentiments about Upamecano — or Joshua Kimmich last year, for that matter — read much the same way. He’s received a few red cards and given up a few high-profile Champions League goals in the past, yes. Welcome to the life of a center-back. He’s also one of the top defenders in the world, whose recovery ability and passing range are both key to how Bayern and Vincent Kompany like to play. And he’s only gotten more stable and assured over the years here, to the point where he is now truly settled in.
The shiny toys on the transfer market are always going to be shiny. New, full of potential. No mistakes in big games in a Bayern jersey to be bitter over. Pristine.
Here’s the truth, though. Once they put on a Bayern jersey and start pulling Bayern salaries, every bad move will be under the microscope. And you can bet that any defensive player is going to be on the wrong side of a highlight reel of at least a few goal concessions if they play enough.
Were there alternatives?
Any number of names have been tossed about, from Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck to new Manchester City defender Marc Guéhi — two back-three defenders who are also big names and would not have been cheap to land.
Bayern also has Jonathan Tah, Kim Min-jae, Hiroki Itō, and Josip Stanišić on the roster. None of them are quite as good and two of them — Kim, especially, and Stanišić — are reasonable prospects for moves away in the near future.
What would the purpose of the alternatives be? To upgrade, to change profile, or to save on salary? And how about the other costs of a change? — Upamecano arrived at Bayern as a promising young center-back with a high ceiling, and it naturally took him some time to find his groove. It would be unreasonable to expect different from other top players, especially players for whom potential is the buzzword.
If Upamecano had decided to leave, sure, Bayern would search for a replacement. It would not have been an easy task, and you have to factor in the risk of striking out on an unknown at a critical spot on the roster.
Could Bayern have saved money?
Maybe. We’ll be able to analyze this more clearly once details are clarified. In principle, Upamecano was commanding more in salary than most conceivable alternatives and a considerable signing bonus as well. On the other hand, a transfer fee of a top talent would not have been chump change, either.
As usual, this question boils down to whether it is worth it for one of football’s most deep-pocketed clubs to be pinching pennies. A Champions League campaign haul runs easily in the tens of millions — Bayern’s this season already has — and the reward for making it deep in the tournament or winning it would be substantial.
On the other hand, is there an argument for being disciplined about the wage scale? Yes. But to get and keep the best players you have to pay them. Where the line is should not be clear, especially not from the outside. Bayern executives complain constantly about the market…in an effort to keep the wage inflation down, not as a point of saying the club will be ruined every time it opens its checkbooks. That’s a judgment call, and so far, through the ebbs and flows, mistakes and all, Bayern has stayed fiscally sound. If the club was willing to offer what they did for Upamecano, it almost certainly fits within that rubric.
And they got him for it.
Will Upamecano leave?
This is the €65M question.
A player has every right to insist on a release clause if they have the leverage to command it. Given the choice, flexibility is good and well-deserved, and contrary to fan expectations, no professional should be asked to prioritize ‘love’ of a club — which surely does not love them back, when you get right down to it — over taking care of their careers.
It does look a lot like Upamecano is entertaining the possibility of a next adventure somewhere else. Whether that comes in a year or three or five, that, too, is his right, and the battle to retain him is far from over. If Bayern can hold onto a coach he trusts in Vincent Kompany and continue being a stable presence among Europe’s elite, who is to say Upamecano doesn’t stay for the long haul? If Bayern fails to do that, or if Upamecano like many other top athletes decides he simply wants to experience a variety of leagues while he can…at least it will have ensured compensation for Upamecano’s departure.
The bottom line
The important thing now is that Upamecano is staying. Every possible factor that might build towards a long-term commitment is in place. Uli Hoeneß expressed that the French defender himself was comfortable where he was and that only his agents were the issue — an opinion that seems to have been vindicated.
Now, Bayern fans can get behind their star and keep him feeling welcomed and treasured in Munich.
Mia san Mia!
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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