LFC perplexed at Bayern’s interest in Ngumoha (The Athletic’s James Pearce)
Earlier this summer, Bayern Munich was linked to Liverpool phenom Rio Ngumoha and the big wigs for the Reds were left befuddled at what was going on:
Liverpool figures were baffled by reports that Bayern Munich were exploring a move to sign Rio Ngumoha, with Sky Germany reporting there had been productive talks between Vincent Kompany and Ngumoha’s camp. Liverpool never received an official approach from Bayern but made it clear he was simply not for sale. It was a bizarre episode, given that no player
aged 17 or under enjoyed more first-team action for a Premier League club in 2025-26 than him. If Ngumoha was feeling remotely unsettled or frustrated by his role at Liverpool, then it wasn’t articulated to the club.
Like any club, Bayern Munich was going to kick the tires on a young talent, who may or may not have been looking to see what was open on the market. As for Liverpool’s reaction? Well, as it’s said in The Wire, “It’s all in the game.”
Rode doing trainee program with Eintracht Frankfurt (Sebastian Rode)
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Sebastian Rode will begin a trainee program / internship with Eintracht Frankfurt to learn the wild ways of club management:
Starting today, I’m beginning a one-year trainee program with @EintrachtFrankfurt, where I’ll get to know various sporting and administrative areas of the football AG. 🦅
After many years as a player and captain, I’m looking forward to experiencing Eintracht from an entirely new perspective now, contributing my own input, and at the same time learning a lot of new things.
Eintracht has been and remains a truly special part of my life – which is why I’m all the more excited for this new chapter! ⚫⚪🔴 #SGE
NUFC eyeing Leverkusen’s Kofane (ESPN)
Newcastle United is going to take a run at Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane in January, but it will have competition from Aston Villa:
Newcastle United will continue their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane in January, says Football Insider. The 20-year-old was also wanted by Aston Villa, but neither club were able to complete a deal before the deadline. Kofane is viewed as a player with huge upside and fits Newcastle’s new recruitment strategy of targeting high-potential players. The Cameroon international scored seven goals and provided six assists last season and has already netted twice this campaign.
Bayern denies it was actively selling Itō (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)
All summer, there were rumors that Bayern Munich was open to selling Hiroki Itō, but sporting director Christoph Freund denied that was the case (even if Bild says that the club was still looking to offload him as of a few days ago):
Christoph Freund on Hiroki Itō: “It was never our intention to let Hiroki leave. He’s an important player who has now been fully fit again for a longer period of time. If an exceptional offer had come in and Hiroki had said he could see himself making the move, then we would have considered it – but otherwise, it was never really a topic”
According to @BILD, a potential Itō sale was a topic of discussion internally in recent days. However, Vincent Kompany in particular advocated for Itō to stay in order not to make the squad too thin. Therefore the club made the definitive decision to keep Itō.
Kompany’s request to keep Itō makes sense, as the head coach likely values the Japanese defender’s ability play both center-back and left-back. Right now, Itō seems like the deepest of reserves at both spots, but his experience could be an asset to Bayern Munich this season.
Chelsea still looking to make moves (ESPN)
Chelsea just never stops does it? The Premier League club is still poking around a few players:
Chelsea have made contact with former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, Footmercato has revealed. The Netherlands international has been a free agent since leaving Saudi side Al Ettifaq, meaning the Blues can sign him at any time. Wijnaldum is viewed as a backup option to Monaco’s Lamine Camara, whose proposed €55 million move to Chelsea collapsed at the final hurdle on deadline day. With the transfer window not reopening until January, the 35-year-old Wijnaldum — who is also wanted by several Saudi clubs — could now be their best short-term midfield option.
Chelsea will face competition from Liverpool if they revive their interest in Camara, says TalkSPORT. The Reds recently contacted Camara’s representatives to express an interest in signing him next summer, if a move to Stamford Bridge doesn’t materialize in January. The 22-year-old is viewed as a long-term replacement for Alexis Mac Allister, who was linked with Manchester City this summer.
Chiesa not in LFC’s UCL squad (Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano)
We always assume that players will just recover from an ACL injury and just come back better than ever, but that has not been the case for Federico Chiesa.
Chiesa was the best player at the EURO 2020 (played in 2021) competition, but an ACL tear left him sidelined for an extended period. Chiesa, who was explosive, dynamic, and a complete headache as a winger, came back and being none of those things.
Frankly, this era of players is worse off for it. Chiesa was supposed to lead Italy in World Cups in 2022 and 2026, but the injury limited his effectiveness and dulled his star power, which affected his career and also Italy’s national team, which lost the biggest star of this generation.
Now, Chiesa, who is still just 28-years-old, is out of favor (and the Champions League roster) at Liverpool:
Some players come back like they have not missed a beat. Others need the “year after the year”, but Chiesa is one of the group that just has never gotten all the way back.
An exit from Liverpool and a fresh start somewhere else would likely benefit the Italian greatly.
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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