According to a report from Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich has Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović on its transfer radar.
This news comes
during a week where it was reported that Kane will let Bayern Munich know in January if he will stick around for at least another season or if he plans on leaving next summer (with a release clause of €65 million):
Dušan Vlahović (25) is on Bayern’s list. The Serbian striker’s contract at Juventus expires next summer and he’s not expected to get a new deal. Bayern were already interested in Vlahović in the past.
There is, indeed, a history of interest between Bayern Munich and the Serbian. Just last week, it was reported that Bayern Munich would be one of three clubs that the 25-year-old would move to for free next summer.
The prospect of having Vlahović succeed Kane (should the Englishman decide to leave) would likely be attractive to Bayern Munich give the Serbian’s proven scoring ability and his low cost (how much he would want tacked on to his salary for not having a transfer fee attached to him is another story).
It is…feasible.
At this point, though, almost no one could replace Kane fully. Sure, Eling Haaland would be ideal, but that appears to be highly unlikely. Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres, Manchester United’s Benjamin Šeško, and Newcastle United Nick Woltemade are all strikers who have been on Bayern Munich’s radar at various points, but all three just changes teams this summer and barring Kane moving to one of those clubs, none of them would be likely to available next summer.
So…while there are other options out there, there might not be many who can play the way that helps Bayern Munich operate most effectively with its attack. One hurdle in getting Vlahović could be that he also would move to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid — two clubs who could also be in need of a striker next summer.
What about another free agent? Maybe, say…FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski? At 37-years-old, Lewandowski could be a good, one-year bridge option, but it still would not solve the club’s long-term need for a No. 9.
At the end of the day — if Kane does decide to leave — Vlahović could be the guy.
Would you be okay with that?
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 5, Episode 9
This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- News broke this week that Harry Kane will have to let Bayern Munich know he wants to leave next summer during the winter transfer window — giving the club ample notice to find a successor. Will it happen? Will this be a distraction? How realistic is that Kane opts to sign an extension with Bayern? Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona all want him.
- Real Madrid is rumored to have strong interest in Michael Olise. Should fans be worried?
- Jerome Boateng retired last week and fans were conflicted about how to feel. Let’s discuss the complex topic of admiring a player’s athletic feats, while being put off by their off-the-field actions.
- Josip Stanišić was almost sold to Juventus (!?).
- Reviewing the latest episode of HBO’s Task.
Song of the Week: “Desire” by U2
As a wee lad growing up, I liked the classic U2 tunes and — admittedly — over time I just drifted away from the band. One of my old buddies was a massive U2 fan (I am sure he still is, but I only see him in passing these days). He was also one of the only people I knew who played soccer growing up (as I’ve said before, we had no soccer in the town where I grew up). That seemed so foreign to me at the time…going to a whole other town to play a sport? I could not conceive (little did I know how many years of my life would be eaten by taking kids to play soccer in other towns).
Anyway, one song that still can get me going, though, is “Desire”, which was featured on 1988’s “Rattle and Hum” album. Enjoy:
Kompany wants to proceed with caution with Karl
Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany loves what he has seen from Lennart Karl, but wants to make sure the youngster is handled properly.
“Last season, he played for the U-17 and U-19 teams. That shows that we rely on our talented players and have confidence in them. For me, there’s zero pressure on Lenny. He should enjoy it. He always has his moments, too; that’s his quality,” Kompany told Sky Sport (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “If you put in a good cross at Bayern Munich, Harry Kane is there to finish. That naturally helps the young players get into the game. If he fights and runs like he’s doing now, even if he’s scored ten or 15 more goals, then that’s good. But we still have to take cautious steps with our talented players during this development phase, also because we believe in them very much.”
Welcome to Bavarian Podcast Works — Edges and Underdogs, a BuLi Action Show!
This is not your run-of-the-mill gambling show as we are putting more focus on the ins-and-outs of the actual match day’s showdowns, rather than an odds-driven format (but yes, you will get the odds as well). This podcast is for people who watch the Bundesliga intently and who want to dive into some of the big games for each match day. Through that, we will also provide some information that could help those seeking to make a wager or two.
Each week, we will highlight three matches to talk through and break down who has the edge, who might be hurting, who is susceptible to being upset, who’s getting hot, and more! This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Edges and Underdogs, a BuLi Action Show:
- Catching up on how we did last week.
- A look at this weekend’s match-ups — including win probability, odds, injury updates, trends, AI predictions, and our predictions as well.
The bottom line…it’s time for some action.
Entertainment Rundown
Task
Task hit it out of the park again and it was an odd watch because — as a viewer — your emotions want to support the “bad guy” (or at least one of the bad guys). The story is progressing nicely and viewers have been treated to a great story. Let’s get into it:
- The slow release of the intricate back stories of the Dark Hearts, Freddy Frias, Eryn, Billy Pendergast, and Robbie Pendergast give this show such depth and complexity. Damn, it has been so good.
- To me, the mark of a great show is when you have these conflicted feelings of wanting a “bad guy” to succeed or get away even when it appears certain that he or she will not. Think about Omar Little (The Wire) or Tony Soprano (The Sopranos). These were not good guys or nice guys, but I still wanted them to get away with their crimes. Maybe, I need a deep analysis of my brain 😂.
- Maybe because of that, the show almost has a feeling of suffocation if you feel that way. You — as a viewer — can feel the walls closing in on Robbie, the pain of Tom Brandis, the frustration and anxiety of Cliff, and inherent feeling of doom that Maeve seems to have.
- Mark Ruffalo’s Tom Brandis character bottomed out emotionally in this episode (there goes that misery p*rn!).
- Fabian Frankel’s Anthony Grosso continues to be a perfect character for this series.
- If you were wondering, yeah, I have had beers on that deck in the scene with Stover and Grosso. In fact, Barnaby’s sponsored my old dek hockey team!
- Overall, just a great episode once again. As someone who has been a critic of HBO’s decisions on shows (which ones get cancelled, which ones get produced and more money dumped into), this gives me hope that someone at HBO has a clue what real entertainment is.
Rating: 9.50/10.00
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen
Bayern Munich will host Werder Bremen in a Bundesliga match that — on paper — looks a little lopsided.
Okay, a lot lopsided.
The Bavarians are scorching hot and Werder Bremen has a slew of injuries, which makes for what could be a very tough challenge against a Bayern Munich team than can just wear down the opposition.
Let’s get into it — this is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Werder Bremen. Die Werderaner are banged up, but does still have some talent. Will it be enough to shock Bayern Munich? We doubt it.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
Predictions
Bayern Munich is fairly healthy and very dangerous…at home. Werder Bremen is fairly banged up and kind of toothless…on the road.
Yeah, we are feeling good about this one.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 5-0 Werder Bremen
Other Bundesliga predictions:
- Mainz 05 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
- Heidenheim 1-2 FC Augsburg
- St. Pauli 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
- VfL Wolfsburg 1-3 RB Leipzig
- Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
- SC Freiburg 1-1 Hoffenheim
- FC Köln 1-2 VfB Stuttgart
- Union Berlin 2-0 Hamburger SV
Prediction Records
Perfect Picks: 7
Bundesliga Last Matchday: 5-4
Bundesliga Overall: 18-18
DFB-Pokal: 28-4
World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 34-14
Champions League: 11-7
Club World Cup: 39-23
Friendlies: 3-0
Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
Total: 134-66
