Not too long ago, Bayern Munich found themselves blessed with the incredible transfer that was Michael Olise, but what if they had another player for the right wing?
Former Manchester United star Antony
made his move to Real Betis after a tough time in England, but a report captured by @iMiaSanMia tells us that the Brazilian international almost joined Bayern Munich instead. Having completed a loan spell at Betis and having good relations with the club, it was highly doubtful that he would join any other club, but per the report, Vincent Kompany personally made the call to Antony and attempted to win him over.
“The transfer window closed the next day. It was really the last day we were negotiating with Betis, and that’s when the call from Bayern came. I’ll tell you 100% now. It really made me hesitate a lot. We’re talking about a giant club, Bayern Munich, and coach Kompany, with his impressive experience, called me personally. We spoke, he was incredibly polite, he said he’d always been a big fan of my game — and it was around 11pm,” said Antony when asked about Bayern’s move. Perhaps the Belgian coach’s persuasion skills aren’t the best, but it looks like the move was never going to happen anyway.
“I had agreed everything with the club [Betis], I gave them my word. Everything was decided, I could not do this to myself or the club. The decision was also largely a family one. It’s a place where I’m really happy, where I feel the support of everyone who welcomed me.”
Last season, Antony had 15 goals and assists in 40 games for Betis, which is no small number, but Michael Olise had 43 contributions in just 55 games. The difference is stark, and perhaps Antony would have been a good fit in Bayern, but there’s no denying that Olise is the perfect winger for Bayern and Kompany’s system.
Putting loyalty and your word before the lure of big names and a bigger salary is highly respectable, so Bayern fans can’t even be mad, but what do you think? Should Bayern have gone harder for Antony early on? Let us know in the comments!
