One of the big disappointments during this offseason for Bayern Munich was the failure to complete the transfer of Rennes attacker Désiré Doué.
Bayern Munich lost out on Doué to Paris Saint-Germain after being considered the leader in the clubhouse to land the winger for much of the summer. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano detailed why Doué wanted selected PSG.
“There are several reasons for Désiré Doué finally deciding to join PSG over Bayern Munich,” Romano said. “PSG offered an important project, Luis Enrique but also Luis Campos and Nasser Al Khelaifi were involved in talks, all of them at the club were really pushing.
“At the end of the day, he’s French and that was also important factor. Luis Enrique was pivotal, his football ideas are really appreciated by many players; it was the same with Joao Neves.”
CaughtOffside added a little more context as well:
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that Doue being French was one factor, with the talented Rennes wonderkid perhaps understandably keen to stay in Ligue 1 for at least a while longer.
On top of that. Romano has suggested that PSG manager Luis Enrique played a key role in convincing Doue to make the move to the Parc des Princes, with the Spanish tactician clearly doing well to win over the 19-year-old with his project.
In the end, it seems like Bayern Munich might have been used as leverage. Live and learn…
Is Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies ready to pull an “Mbappé”?
Maybe.
One report suggests that the Canadian star will try the same tactic as Kylian Mbappé, which means he will play out his contract and then leave for a more lucrative deal at Real Madrid next summer:
Real Madrid have been linked with Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies for the best part of a year now, and it looks as if they will end up getting their man next summer. The 23-year-old is out of contract next year, and can sign for Los Blancos on a free.
Bayern are seemingly open to trying to convince him during the course of the season to sign a new deal, and have opened the door in the past to selling him this summer, albeit for around €50m – a €15-20m difference on what Real Madrid are willing to fork out. Marca mention that Real Madrid have not been impressed with his agent Nedal Huoseh leaking information about figures and keeping the Bayern door open.
However Davies is clear on his intentions, and he is aware that he must ‘do a Kylian Mbappe’ in order to join Real Madrid, and play alongside the Frenchman at the Santiago Bernabeu. That is to say, run down his contract and then join on a free.
(Finds random cliff, peers off into the distance, uses a deep voice to utter, “And so it begins”…)
It’s time!
Bayern Munich will kick off its season the DFB-Pokal vs. SSV Ulm in a match that should — should! — see the Bavarians be considered heavy favorites. In the first real match under Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich will surely want to get off to a good start and build some momentum for what could be a very difficult campaign.
The top end of the Bundesliga — as a collective — might be better than last season and the Bavarians will have to find a way to ward off the natural growing pains that can occur under a new coach.
That all starts with Friday’s match in the DFB-Pokal against SSV Ulm. Let’s dive into it and get started with our first Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show of the season. Here is what we have on tap:
- Where the team stands coming out of the preseason.
- Who you might know on SSV Ulm.
- A look at the latest news on injuries.
- A guess at Vincent Kompany’s lineup.
- A prediction on the match.
After landing Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, Manchester United could be turning its attention to Youssouf Fofana:
AS Monaco and France midfielder Youssouf Fofana would prefer a move to Manchester United this summer, rather than a move to the likes of AC Milan, who also have an interest in him, as reported by Football Insider.
The transfer specialist reported that Manchester United are drafting a midfield shortlist, headed up by Manuel Ugarte, as the Old Trafford outfit look to rebuild their side.
Though Ugarte remains the Red Devils’ top option, Fofana is deemed as a strong alternative, and a move may be facilitated this summer as the Frenchman wishes to join United instead of any other of the many clubs tracking him.
After agreeing deals to sign Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich, a number six is the new priority for United, with the likes of Sander Berge and Danilo also considered by the club should a deal for Ugarte collapse.
If not Fofana, Manchester United might have Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte lined up as an option, too (per GiveMeSport):
Manchester United succeeding in their pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt has resulted in boss Erik ten Hag having renewed hope of being able to convince Paris Saint-Germain to lower their demands for leading Old Trafford target Manuel Ugarte before the transfer deadline, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.
Red Devils sporting director Dan Ashworth, who has been leading the recruitment drive, strengthened the squad a matter of days before getting the Premier League campaign underway with a clash against Fulham by completing the signings of the Netherlands international and Noussair Mazraoui in deals worth close to £60million from Bayern Munich.
Southampton’s Armel Bella-Kothcap had some difficulties with his physical at Hoffenheim, which might have — at least temporarily — affected the potential transfer:
⚠️ Armel Bella-Kotchap deal, also in jeopardy! During his medical on Tuesday/Wednesday, issues arose.
As also via BILD. But again: For all parties together, the deal is not 100 % off at this stage. All parties involved are trying to find a solution.
Now waiting.… https://t.co/nES4M32Beg
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 14, 2024
⚠️ Armel Bella-Kotchap deal, also in jeopardy! During his medical on Tuesday/Wednesday, issues arose.
As also via BILD. But again: For all parties together, the deal is not 100 % off at this stage. All parties involved are trying to find a solution.
Now waiting.
Bayern Munich downed Austrian side WSG Tirol 3-0 in Unterhaching in a match that unimpressive, but did achieve the goal of getting some younger players time, while allowing the veterans to shake off a little more rust ahead of the DFB-Pokal match against SSV Ulm.
Let’s get to it and discuss how this match played out:
- A look at Vincent Kompany’s odd lineup and why there were not that many experienced reserves available.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutes. The first half was slow, but the second’s effort was better.
- Talking Grayson Dettoni (it would have been great to see him play).
- The game lacked any offensive cohesion and that aggressive press was absent as well.
- A missed opportunity for Leon Goretzka.
- Gabriel Vidović has probably performed at a level that will garner him enough interest to either be loaned again or sold outright.
- Where does Bayern Munich go from here?
Liverpool probably will not be pursuing another midfielder now that it will not get Martin Zubimendi:
Liverpool are unlikely to bring in a new holding midfielder this summer after being rejected by Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi on Monday night.
Liverpool was reportedly willing to triple Zubimendi’s wages per Mundo Deportivo.
Bayer Leverkusen is not feeling too bad about Real Madrid’s interest in Jeremie Frimpong:
Bayer Leverkusen are confident of keeping hold of Jeremie Frimpong for the 2024/25 season, despite interest from Real Madrid and the Premier League.
So preseason is practically over and Bayern Munich have emerged with the prestigious Visit Malta Cup and extended bragging rights over Tottenham Hotspur supporters. However, who were the major winners and losers from the whole exercise? What did we learn about Vincent Kompany’s plans for next season?
In this episode, INNN and Samrin discuss the following:
- What is up with Leon Goretzka? Is he finally being pushed out?
- Will Vincent Kompany actually use Thomas Müller in an important role this season?
- Why Harry Kane might need to adjust his game.
- The new midfield — first impressions of Palhinha, and Joshua Kimmich’s current role.
- What we like from Kompany so far.
- The issue of selling Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, and how this may have unforeseen consequences.
- Will Bayern Munich make further transfers this summer?
- Answering supporter questions re: Upamecano, the squad planning, and transfers.
Dude…this kind of money changes a family’s whole history:
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Vinicius Jr’s representatives have discussed an annual salary of up to $382.5m.
Real Madrid would also expect to receive Vinícius’ buyout clause, which stands at €1 billion. pic.twitter.com/P4F87mfOFn
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 13, 2024
Everton, Fulham FC, and Ipswich Town are all taking a look at Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who seems to need to find a new home ASAP:
Everton, Fulham and Ipswich Town are all interested in taking Kalvin Phillips off of Manchester City’s hands. The midfielder spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United.
Bayern Munich made its way over to England for a friendly with Tottenham Hotspur to fulfill an obligation on the Harry Kane transfer deal.
Mission accomplished.
Not only did Bayern Munich fulfill that part of the Kane deal, but it walked away with a 3-2 victory as well. There was much to discuss following the match, so let’s get to it:
- A look at Vincent Kompany’s starting XI.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Serge Gnabry looks like a man on a mission.
- Finally, it was cool to see Harry Kane get a nice ovation from Spurs fans.
- Bayern Munich’s first half press was an absolute game-changer, but it fell off a cliff in the second half after Kompany used subs.
- Mathys Tel needs more playing time.
- The backline could end up being a problem — Eric Dier might be the best of the three-headed monster.