It is no secret that there have been a handful of times that there have been some disagreements between Joshua Kimmich and front office and board members of Bayern Munich. Tensions were exceptionally high back in the 2020/21 season when he was lambasted for not wanting to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and subsequently missed a chunk of matches due to a lung infection, but that was not the only instance where he and the club did not exactly see eye to eye.
Kimmich was also at the heart of a bit of a spat with one of Thomas Tuchel’s assistant coaches on the way down the tunnel following a Bundesliga match this season where they lost to VfL Bochum and he was replaced at halftime. In the 2019/20 season, the club’s front office had also replied promptly to Kimmich saying the teams’ levels needed to be much higher after narrowly beating SC Paderborn 3-2 by saying that he need to be able to lead and perform better himself to be making comments like that.
Bayern is nicknamed FC Hollywood for a reason and Kimmich is certainly the type of player that wears his heart on his sleeve, but it is not as if he is a cancer in the dressing room or a negative presence. So many different players have been the subject of controversy at the club before, whatever the reason may be.
Despite misunderstandings there may have been in the past between Kimmich and the club, he recently explained that there is no bad blood in the midst of a pivotal period for the player himself. There have been rumors suggesting he could leave the club this summer, but the club hopes he signs a contract extension and commits his long-term future to Bayern.
“We are all adults. There are new people in charge now, and any misunderstandings can always be cleared up in a personal conversation. That’s why I’m relatively open about that. I don’t think I need to symbolically show my identification with the club. The people and the club’s officials see that every day – and that’s what matters,” Bayern’s number 6 explained when he was asked how he much he still identifies with the club, even after not always getting the best support where there were debates about certain topics (via @iMiaSanMia).
Photo credit should read ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
For Kimmich, Vincent Kompany coming in and bringing a new coaching staff with him will be the 7th different manager he has played under during his time at the club thus far. He’ll have worked under Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Jupp Heynckes, Niko Kovac, Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann, and Tuchel prior to next season starting under Kompany. In addition, both Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic were removed from the club at the end of the 2022/23 season, dawning a new era now spearheaded by Christoph Freund (sporting director), Jan-Christian Dreesen (CEO), and Max Eberl (board member for sport). In a way, it is a bit of another clean slate for Kimmich.
The player’s contract with Bayern currently runs through June 2025 and he represents himself without an official agent, so when the EUROs are over, it is crucial Bayern does everything in their power to convince him to stay and sign a new deal.