According to a report from Bild journalists Christian Falk and Julian Agardi (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), the situation between Bayern Munich and center-back Kim Min-jae is taking an odd twist.
It is not actually Kim, who wants to leave this summer, but the Bavarians, who want to ship him out the door:
Kim Min-jae is fine with his current role as a ‘challenger’ and is accepting it. Even the decision to leave him out of the squad against Hoffenheim didn’t affect him. Kim still feels comfortable at
Bayern. The thoughts about a possible summer departure are rather coming from the club. The player is not pushing for a move despite Premier League interest. Bayern, meanwhile, are ready to listen to offers in the summer.
Let’s break this this down:
Kim Min-jae is fine with his current role as a ‘challenger’ and is accepting it.
BFW: Okay, this problematic for a few reasons — first, Bayern Munich did not pay €50 million for a guy content to be a “challenger.” Second, he is getting paid a €12 million salary and an annual bonus of €3 million — which is far too much for a player to be content to be on the bench.
Even the decision to leave him out of the squad against Hoffenheim didn’t affect him.
BFW: It probably should have affected him. It was a direct message on where he stands within the team at the moment.
Kim still feels comfortable at Bayern.
BFW: I bet he does!
The thoughts about a possible summer departure are rather coming from the club.
BFW: Yeah, if they think a player has hit a wall and might not be motivated, this will happen.
The player is not pushing for a move despite Premier League interest. Bayern, meanwhile, are ready to listen to offers in the summer.
BFW: Willing to listen to offers is probably an understatement.
If true, this is weird to say the least.
Kim is an affable guy and appears to be both a hard worker and a good teammate. He’s a physical freak — big, strong, fast (he wasn’t nicknamed The Monster for nothing!), but it has just never really clicked for him in Bavaria.
With a penchant for poor positioning and sloppy decision-making, Kim essentially played his way out of starting role. It is not shocking that Bayern Munich wants to sell him, but it is somewhat stunning that a 29-year-old former star is already willing to accept being a sub.
Why do you think that is?
Realistically, Kim likely understands he has not performed as well as Dayot Upamecano or Jonathan Tah, but he also likely knows that no other team would pay him that kind of salary. A transfer — even to the Premier League — might have to be accompanied by a pay cut.
While no one can blame him for wanting to make that money while he can, it is bad look to accept a lesser role at a time where he should be starring in his prime. Being content in any endeavor is dangerous. As the old adage goes, complacency is the enemy of progress.
One might be quick to blame former sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić for the overly generous deal, but he was already sacked by the time this one was formalized. Instead, it was former head coach Thomas Tuchel and technical director Marco Neppe giving personnel input and leading the charge with chief executive officer Jan-Christian Dreesen giving the final approval.
Yup, Bayern Munich is STILL feeling the effects of the ill-fated Tuchel Era.
Clearly, this kind of big deal — especially during that tumultuous timeframe — was a mistake. As for what happens, next, well, there are likely 15 million reasons why things are probably not going to change.
Song of the Week: “Friends of P” by The Rentals
This tune has a little different meaning than O.P.P by Naughty by Nature, so don’t try to get it twisted.
The Rentals had a brief five-year run starting in 1994 and have since re-started the efforts (2005), but they did produce a gem back in 1995. The “P” in this case was wife of former Cars front man Ric Ocasek, Paulina Porizkova. During that era of alt-rock, this got heavy play locally on the short-lived, but legendary 103.9 WDRE, but also had some on MTV to a wider audience as well:
Take a trip back to the mid-90s for this one. Enjoy:
A funny nugget about the band is actress/comedian/former Saturday Nigh Live cast member Maya Rudolph played keyboards and provided backing vocals for the band at one point.
Entertainment Rundown
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
The show continues to just get better, so let’s get into it:
- With Dunk imprisoned and Egg back to being known royalty, the fallout from Dunk taking belt-to-ass on Aerion needed to be dealt with.
- Aerion, who is just perfectly cast, opts for a long forgotten punishment which will put him against Dunk in battle, but they will not be alone. A “Trial of S” was Aerion’s preferred method of punishment for Dunk’s insolence. This theme carries the entirety of the show.
- As Dunk tried to rally six knights to fight with him, he was rejected, double-crossed, and ultimately turned desperate and had Ser Lyonel Baratheon make a knight of Raymun Fossoway just to attempt to get the number. Clearly, the stage was set for an insane episode this weekend as Prince Baelor Targaryen announced himself to be the final knight to fight on Dunk’s side.
- The show, which I still contend got off on the wrong foot, has embraced exactly what it is — a fun view of the Seven Kingdoms from a couple of kids who were either born of the periphery of that world or would rather be on the periphery of it. It has quickly morphed into a great show with a buddy story that singularly unites two unlikely pals. It is just pure enjoyment, well-written, and has turned into must watch television.
- For all of the fun, it seems like things are about to get brutal, which is really the delicate balance of the Game of Thrones universe and how you will fully find out if the writers and showrunners have a firm grasp on how to tell Martin’s story. That completely eluded the writers and showrunners for Game of Thrones in those final seasons and the House of the Dragon crew still doesn’t get it. It is not easy, but this show has hit its stride and gotten into a steady groove in terms of pacing. The one thing to consider for those unhappy with the episode length or somewhat expedited storyline is that show is not just navigating how to keep the audience entertained, but also how to stay within HBO’s strict financial constraints. HBO has been known to have a quick hook with expensive shows.
- For book readers, the show could fall a bit short because it has to near impossible to capture all of the intricate details, depth, complexities, and richness of George RR Martin’s written word. You can say a lot about Martin, but his mind just enters a level that many creative-types just cannot approach. Anyway, the point is that even if this show cannot match the books, it is doing a hell of a job.
- Overall, this was a great episode and has properly set us up for what should an incredible episode on Sunday.
Rating: 9.25/10.00
The Goonies 2
Man, it is hard to recapture the magic of the 80s and the original (The Goonies) is an absolutely classic. Making a sequel so many years later is so risky, but this caught my interest and I cannot imagine that I will pass on this one:
Predictions
Bayern Munich will be sans Michael Olise against Werder Bremen — something that might normally send waves of panic through the fanbase.
However, Werder Bremen has not won a game since November.
November.
The talent level of the River Islanders just is not where it needs to be and the squad is spiraling downward at an epic rate. Sure, there is at least some danger (Bayern Munich has played down to the level of its competition a few times of late), but the Bavarians should be able to blast the home side right off the pitch if the boys come out focused, energized, and eager to go for the kill.
Prediction: Werder Bremen 0-4 Bayern Munich
Other Bundesliga matches:
- Mainz 05 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
- Union Berlin 1-2 Hamburger SV
- SC Freiburg 1-2 Hoffenheim
- Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
- Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 St. Pauli
- FC Köln 1-3 VfB Stuttgart
- Heidenheim 1-2 FC Augsburg
- VfL Wolfsburg 1-2 RB Leipzig
Prediction Records
- Total: 385-220
- Perfect Picks: 37
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 4-5
- Bundesliga Overall: 111-79
- DFB-Pokal: 49-11
- World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 99-45
- Champions League: 82-62
- Club World Cup: 39-23
- Club Friendlies: 4-0
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
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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