Finding Manuel Neuer’s replacement has been Bayern Munich’s hardest task this season due to the lack of available options.
Bayern Munich has been forced to consider snatching a notable goalkeeper as Manuel Neuer’s replacement due to the skipper’s serious injury. He will be sidelined until the end of the season after injuring himself while skiing on vacation following Germany’s early World Cup exit.
Unfortunately, searching for Neuer’s replacement is never easy. The lack of options during the winter transfer window is the major reason. Neuer’s reluctance to share the tasks throughout the season – even for DFB Pokal and friendly match – has become another issue. It will be interesting to see whether Die Roten will finally manage to sign a new shot-stopper in January 2023.
Bayern’s boss, Julian Nagelsmann does state that his club was in need of signing a new goalkeeper for the second half of the season. They might be able to rely on Bayern’s no.2, Sven Ulreich in their domestic campaign. However, it is too risky to count on him in the Champions League. They will be facing PSG in the round of 16.
Bayern in Search of Proper Manuel Neuer’s Replacement
Yann Sommer
The Swiss international has been touted as the ideal one to take Neuer’s position. Sommer is said to be up for a Bayern move despite the fact that he can potentially lose his first place spot to the German captain once he is fit next season.
Unfortunately, his current club, Borussia Monchengladbach, refuses to let him go this month. Despite his expiring contract next summer, Gladbach is not making it easy in the negotiation. They would like their long-standing rival to increase their offer more than their initial €5 million to sign Sommer. Such seems to displease the 34-year old goalkeeper. He has been eager to move as soon as possible but Bayern appears to object the fee.
Will the switch eventually materialize at the end of the month? No one seems to be sure about it, including Nagelsmann himself. Nevertheless, Sommer is worth signing for such amount of fee. His form has been consistent for his club and country in the past few years.
Alexander Nübel
The former Schalke shot-stopper is the next best one on the list. He is still Bayern player and currently on loan at AS Monaco for two seasons in a row. Nübel seems to enjoy his spell in Ligue 1 as he has been the mainstay under Philippe Clement’s reign, instead of being Neuer’s backup.
Nageslmann’s team has been in contact with the 26-year-old goalie, but a complication has emerged. He would like a guarantee for being Bayern Munich’s number one goalkeeper, or at the very least to share the workload with a possible dual-goalkeeper policy throughout the season. Barcelona did impose it on Marc Ter-Stegen and Claudio Bravo during the 2014/15 season. The former was assigned to play in UCL and Copa Del Rey while the latter was in charge of La Liga matches.
Unfortunately, Bayern themselves have doubts on such a requirement. Neuer is set to be the number one again in the club once he has been in recovery and unwilling to share at all. What’s more, Monaco would do their best to keep hold of Nübel this season. It could be a dead end for Die Roten.
Other Names on Bayern’s Radar
Apart from those two names, Eintracht Frankfurt man Kevin Trapp is the most recent one linked with a move to the Allianz Arena. The former PSG goalkeeper is considered another suitable figure for Neuer’s replacement. Yet, he instantly rejected the idea of a Bayern switch. Trapp, who helped Frankfurt win the Europa League last season, is reportedly to be content at his current club.
Meanwhile, two World Cup heros Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, have been crossed out of Bazern’s list. Their clubs will definitely ask for a higher price than €5 million. Such is the likely tolerable amount Bayern are willing to spend.
The worst, and most possible scenario would be sticking to Sven Ulreich with the 20-year-old Johannes Schenk as the backup in the remaining season. This could be the chance for the latter to step up, should the former be not in his best form. Schenk has just made three clean sheets in 13 games for Bayern in the Regionalliga and UEFA Youth League.