Daily Schmankerl: Gabriel Vidović happy with loan from Bayern Munich to Mainz; Napoli and Victor Osimhen are engaged in a battle; Talking over some late transfer moves; Is Lionel Messi just packing it in?; Can Real Madrid stars coexist?; and MORE!

Bayern Munich’s Gabriel Vidović had a very strong preseason, but breaking into the lineup for the Bavarians on a regular basis was just not going to happen.

Knowing that, Bayern Munich collaborated with the player and Mainz 05 on a loan arrangement, which should provide the Croatian attacker with a platform to prove whether or not he can perform on the big stage in Germany.

The 20-year-old is thrilled to have the opportunity.

“I had very good discussions with the sports director and the coach and immediately got a good feeling. Mainz 05 offers ideal conditions for me to develop further in my sporting career. It was also a conscious decision to go to the Bundesliga,” Vidović said.

After two years of transfer rumors, Napoli apparently had enough of Victor Osimhen and left him off of its Serie A squad list for the season per Fabrizio Romano:

Once Napoli acquired Romelu Lukaku, it had all the leverage it needed to play hardball with Osimhen. Whatever happens from here, really does not matter, the relationship is likely in a state where it cannot be reconciled.

You come here daily. You read the posts. You listen to the podcasts (or at least you should).

Heck, you might even banter with some of BFW staffers in the comments or on social media.

But…do you really know us?

Now, you will get that chance. In a Bavarian Podcast Works Special Edition Series, we are unleashing unveiling “BFW Behind the Scenes.”

In this series you will get to know some of the BFW staffers a little better than you already do. Find out how they got involved with Bayern Munich, Bavarian Football Works, what they like, what they’re into, and what they are expecting from the Bavarians this season.

So settle in for some fun as Chuck Smith hosts “BFW Behind the Scenes” — a fun set of conversations with BFW staffers. We’ve got an entire slate of BFW’ers ready to go. Check out the podcasts and let us know what you think!

In this edition, you can meet RLD…

Haller to Leganés

When Borussia Dortmund brought in Sébastien Haller, it definitely made me raise an eyebrow. Haller has always been a good player, but was never (to me), going to be that player.

Having seen Haller play live in Philadelphia a few years ago, I have a lot of respect for his game, but just did not think he would be the striker BVB needed. His bout with cancer was — obviously — a massive hurdle as well.

At one point, Haller was a target of Bayern Munich. Hopefully, he gets a legitimate opportunity at Leganés.

Koné to Roma

Former Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Manu Koné made the jump to AS Roma. Bayern Munich was rumored to have interest in the 23-year-old at various points in recent months because of the ties between the player and Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl. However, a move to Italy was more in the cards than to another club in Germany:

Sancho to Chelsea

After strong rumors linking the Englishman to Juventus, Jadon Sancho left Manchester United on loan for Chelsea FC, creating a bizarre love triangle between the player and the two clubs.

Chelsea’s roster is overloaded (even with some recent player sales), so Sancho will have his work cut out for him to get consistent playing time:

Bayern Munich’s season in fully underway.

The summer transfer window is almost over, the DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga both kicked off, and now the Champions League draw has taken place. When you factor in that the German national team also made its call-ups, there is plenty to talk about. So, let’s get to it. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• INNN and Chuck break down Bayern Munich’s Champions League draw. Do we like the format? What do we think about the match-ups? PSG and FC Barcelona — again? Oh, the humanity — and subplots!
• Julian Nagelsmann made his latest call-ups to the German national team? Who won, who lost? Why so few Bayern Munich players?
• Bayern Munich is in the final few days of the summer transfer window — what will happen with Kingsley Coman and Jonathan Tah? Should Bayern Munich take a flier on Mats Hummels?

Real Madrid made the biggest splash of the offseason by inking former Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé.

When signing a player of that caliber, it is usually just a matter of how the existing players on the roster can fit around — and work with — Mbappé. However, things don’t always go as planned and it seems as if Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. are having some trouble working together.

Admittedly, we know this is just a selected group of plays, but chemistry is key:

In the end, Real Madrid will probably end up winning the Champions League (because this a cruel, heartless world), but team chemistry is such an undervalued part of today’s game. Eventually, talent will almost always rule the day, but bad chemistry can ruin even something as good as what Madrid looks like it has built.

We’ll see how it plays out over the course of the season.

Lionel Messi can’t seem to get — or stay — healthy. Is he that banged up or his he just riding out the final years of his career?

To many (most?), Messi will go down as the GOAT, but he might not conquer MLS to cap off his glorious career.

Bayern Munich is set to host SC Freiburg in its first home game of the Bundesliga season.

The Bavarians are coming off of a nerve-wracking 3-2 win over Wolfsburg, in a match that was probably a lot closer than it needed to be. Matchday 2 should present a less challenging obstacle in SC Freiburg, who is a club in transition.

As we know, though, what should happen and what will happen often do not align. Die Breisgau-Brasilianer stifled VfB Stuttgart last weekend, can it do the same to Bayern Munich?

We’ll see. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:

• Where do things stand after Matchday 1?
• What to watch for with SC Freiburg.
• A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
• A prediction on the match.