At this point, there have been countless rumors about Bayern Munich’s determination to sign Jonas Urbig, with the latest rumors suggesting the Bavarians have moved their plan to sign the FC Köln goalkeeper forward to January due to Daniel Peretz’s injury. But Peretz should make his return from injury long before the season ends. Are Bayern Munich planning to finish the final months of the season with four senior goalkeepers?
Well…yes, according to Florian Plettenberg:
If Jonas Urbig joins Bayern by Deadline Day on February 3rd, the plan is for Bayern to rotate between him, Daniel Peretz, and Sven Ulreich for the number two position during the second half of the season. Urbig was already in Munich at the end of November. Over the past few months, he has consistently been Bayern’s preferred option as a potential backup for Manuel Neuer.
There are some obvious problems with such a solution, first and foremost the question of how the likes of Peretz and Urbig will possibly develop if they are stuck behind Neuer all season, let alone forced to battle for the #2 shirt. Meanwhile, Ulreich will have the cushiest job in the world, earning millions to train with some of the best players in the world without needing to suit up at all for any game time.
Then again, Urbig is not collecting any game time stuck behind Marvin Schwäbe at Köln, yet another decision against playing youngsters that saw Der Effzeh lose star academy talents such as Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz. Perhaps Urbig will still develop more by joining Bayern. Or perhaps Bayern decide to loan the U-21 Germany international out to get actual playing time? Well, one can dream at least.
