Bayern not chasing Cherki (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
At one point Bayern Munich was linked to Rayan Cherki, but the club has moved on and is not pursuing the Manchester City attacker despite rumors to the contrary:
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are keeping a close eye on Man City star Rayan Cherki. I asked Max Eberl about this and he made it clear that there’s no plan to bring Cherki in during the winter window. Bayern, anyway, doesn’t tend to do big deals like Cherki, who would be really expensive in January, if something disastrous hasn’t happened
like a serious injury. I don’t think that will happen – I certainly hope it doesn’t!
If you see Khvhicha Kvaratskhelia would be a very interesting player for Bayern Munich in the past when he played for Napoli – and it was €70m [£60.1m] that PSG paid for his services in the winter – normally €70m is okay at Bayern. They paid as much for Luis Diaz from Liverpool. However, Bayern Munich can’t do this in the winter. They have a summer-led strategy where they look to build a squad for an entire season. They spent about €105m [£90.1m] for two transfers this summer and they brought in money (about €62.5m-€65m [£53.6m-55.8m]), so you’re looking at an outlay of about €40m [£34.3m]. That’s Bayern Munich. They just don’t pay a lot of money in the winter.
It is true that Bayern Munich eschews big deals in the winter, but will get some business done when there is a need. Typically, the Bavarians will look to loan out youngsters or even make some minor tweaks to the roster, but a big splurge in January? Nah, it is not likely to happen even for a player like Cherki, whom the club has reportedly liked for quite a while.
United not in on Alaba (ESPN)
Manchester United is not pursuing former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid defender David Alaba despite reports to the contrary:
Manchester United aren’t considering a move for free agent defender David Alaba despite reports, according to Manchester Evening News. The Premier League side are said to have ruled out an approach for the 34-year-old, with plans to focus their transfer strategy on acquiring young players with significant potential. Alaba, who has also been linked with Lazio, made 11 appearances in La Liga for Real Madrid last season. He hasn’t played competitively since starring four times for Austria at the World Cup.
Hatchard not sure Wolfsburg can make it back to the Bundesliga this season (Casino Guru)
Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard thinks Wolfsburg could be in for an extended stay in the 2. Bundesliga.
“It’s a really tough division to get out of. There’s no doubt about that, and they’ve made some good signings. They’ve brought in Fabian Reese, who’s a player that I really like. They’ve sold well. They are best placed, you would think, to go back up, but that’s often not how it works in Bundesliga 2. It took Hamburg seven years to come back. It wasn’t easy for Schalke when they first went down. There’s lots of big beasts in that division, and you’ve got to be pretty much perfect to get one of those automatic spots. There will be lots of twists and turns,” Hatchard told Casino Guru. “Look at a club like Hertha. They went down, massive stadium, they’ve got some great youngsters there, but they’ve not been able to put it together either. Hannover have been down there for ages. There’s no guarantee that just because you’re a big club, you’re going to bounce straight back.”
Flick to make final call on Araújo (ESPN)
Ronald Araújo’s move to Liverpool on a loan assignment seems to be an indication that his future at FC Barcelona is on thin ice. It does not seem like the center-back has a supporter in Barca head coach Hansi Flick:
Ronald Araújo’s future at Barcelona is increasingly dependent on the stance of manager Hansi Flick, according to TEAMtalk. The Liverpool loanee’s summer move to Anfield came about following Flick’s admission that he couldn’t guarantee Araujo the game time he wanted at Barca. Liverpool have a permanent option to sign the 27-year-old for €55 million and have been delighted with his start to life in England, but are in no rush to decide his long-term future.
It’s not going well for Wirtz (Sh*thousery HQ)
After another subpar effort, Florian Wirtz is increasingly finding himself in the crosshairs of English football fans. Even Liverpool fans might be getting close to having their fill of the situation.
After a 0-0 draw with Fulham, some hit social media to express themselves:
Bundesliga Notes (Various Authors)
Sky Sport captured some notes on Niclas Füllkrug’s dramatic goal to help Werder Bremen secure a draw with FC Köln. The Billy Goats are off to a disappointing start:
Striker comeback hero Niclas Füllkrug has salvaged a point for Werder Bremen against 1. FC Köln after a long deficit. 🤝 The 24-time national team player scored for coach Daniel Thioune’s side in the 69th minute to secure the 1:1 final score.
Opta captured this note on Michael Gregoritsch becoming FC Augsburg’s all-time leading scorer for the Bundesliga:
38 – Michael Gregoritsch scored his 37th and 38th Bundesliga goal for FC Augsburg, thereby surpassing Alfred Finnbogason as the club’s all-time top scorer in the top flight.
Knipser.
The Touchline caught up with how things are going for former RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande at Real Madrid:
🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Yan Diomande has been taken off.
The €140M signing has not produced a G/A yet in his first 6 appearances for Real Madrid.
Schalke 04’s solid run of play continued on Friday with a 3-1 win over Union Berlin and afterward Bundesliga freelance journalist Marie Schulte-Bockum got a pretty interesting quote from Robin Gosens:
Robin #Gosens on Sky about Miron #Muslic and the #s04 bench:
“Our coach always talks about game-changers, not substitutes.
That’s psychologically important for the players too. You feel like you’re not a substitute, but a game-changer.”
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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