According to a report from Tz (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Ralf Rangnick has some history with a few members of the Bayern Munich.
Per the story, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, and Leroy Sané could all be considered players who Rangnick has an affinity for:
A potential Ralf Rangnick appointment could play into several Bayern players’ hands:
• Joshua Kimmich: both know and appreciate each other for over a decade. Rangnick is a mentor for Kimmich, brought him to Leipzig from Stuttgart in 2013, predicted he would be Bayern’s future captain two years after his move to Munich, and supported him recently when he was criticized in public
• Leon Goretzka: Rangnick rates Goretzka highly and once described him as ‘best box-to-box player in the world’
• Konrad Laimer: undisputed starter under Rangnick for Austria. The latter also brought him to Leipzig from Salzburg in 2017
• Dayot Upamecano: the Frenchman described his first meeting with Rangnick as ‘most important moment of my career’. When Rangnick left Leipzig in 2019, Upamecano said ‘It’s difficult for me not to be able to work with him anymore’
• Manuel Neuer: Rangnick promoted him to Schalke’s first team in 2005 and was one of the first to call him ‘best goalkeeper in the world’
• Thomas Müller: Rangnick was one of the first outside Bayern to notice his talent and was close to bringing him to Hoffenheim in 2008 – until Hermann Gerland and Uli Hoeneß vetoed the move
• Leroy Sané: Rangnick followed and was interested in him even before he was training with Schalke’s first team
BFW Analysis
It is still far too early to start thinking along these lines, but whoever is hired as the new coach is going to have some input on the roster and transfer decisions. If Rangnick is the man and he truly is a fan of those particular players, it would bode well for them, but likely not guarantee a thing,
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s upcoming Bundesliga match vs. Eintracht Frankfurt? Well, we have you covered with the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show, which is available on Spotify or below: