Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are still expected to be the primary contenders to land Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz next summer:
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will battle it out to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz in 2025, with the Germany international available for €120m.
Madrid Universal added some context on what a move to Real Madrid might look like for Wirtz:
Despite Wirtz’s obvious talent, some believe he might not be the perfect fit for Real Madrid’s current needs. The club already has several attacking midfielders, including Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, and Brahim Diaz, who occupy similar positions.
If Wirtz were to join Real Madrid, he might have to adapt his playing style and move to a more central role, similar to how Kroos controls the tempo of the game.
Still, Real Madrid’s desire to have the best talents in their squad drives them to pursue Wirtz, just as they have done with players like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr..
This has sometimes required adjustments, such as moving Mbappe to play as a central forward to accommodate Vinicius on the left wing.
If Wirtz were to join the club, a similar adaptation might be needed, with Bellingham being the preferred choice for the attacking midfield role, and Wirtz potentially having to play in a deeper position to fit into the team’s structure.
Bayern Munich is in an interesting spot with Wirtz because of the presence of Jamal Musiala and the ongoing emergence of Paul Wanner, who is on loan at Heidenheim. Potentially having three players with great potential for the attacking midfield position seems like it would be a good problem to have, but there are some variables to that equation.
Musiala still needs to ink a contract extension (there is speculation he might like to make a jump back to England or over to Spain) and Wanner is still looking to establish himself consistently.
If Musiala signs an extension and Wanner continues to improve, Bayern Munich could balk at spending that much money for another attacking midfielder.
Toni Kroos is still getting used to his “career after life”, but wants people to not overreact to any Germany results as the national team works through a changeover in generation.
“It feels like the last game [against Spain] was a few days ago. I think we achieved something in the past three months which was missing in the past few years, namely having a team that inspires the fans. A few players who shaped the team are no longer there – it’s a chance for a new structure,” said Kroos. “I simply ask people to support the national team and stand behind it. I know the boys who play for the national team as players but also as guys. I think they deserve to have people behind them. We saw at the EUROs that it’s easier for the players when the country is behind them than when there are doubts.”
The new BPW series – The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl – continues with its second episode, covering the second matchday of the 2024/2025 Bundesliga season.
If you missed this matchday due to travel, socializing, or any other reason, this is the episode (and podcast) for you! Marcus recaps all the matchday results, offering his insights on Bayer Leverkusen’s loss and why Bayern Munich fans should be wary of a resurgent RB Leipzig. In the ‘Bundesliga Spotlight’ segment, Marcus also shines a light on the week’s most captivating moment in German football: the miracle boys from Heidenheim!
In this week’s episode, Marcus will cover:
- Why this edition of RB Leipzig feels different, and why that may lead to the Bundesliga becoming a three-horse race.
- Jonathan Tah’s agents’ comments and how they might’ve affected his game against RB Leipzig.
- Why Mainz 05’s Nadiem Amiri might become the signing of the season.
- Words do not do them justice, but Marcus tries to explain the importance of FC Heidenheim.
- Why Stuttgart are in trouble following their poor start to the 2024/25 Bundesliga season.
- A quick preview of Matchday 3, with Bayern Munich returning to Holstein Kiel for the first time since their DFB-Pokal exit back in 2021.
Erik ten Hag wants to rescue Frenkie de Jong from his iffy situation at FC Barcelona:
Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United to prioritise signing Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona in the January transfer window. The Dutch coach is wary of relying on Casemiro, while Manuel Ugarte is not yet up to speed.
English clubs are just accumulating talent at this point aren’t they?
Mauricio Pochettino looks set to become the new head coach of the USMNT:
Mauricio Pochettino, prepared to sign this week as new USMNT head coach.
After verbal agreement weeks ago, all legal topics are being resolved and the contracts are almost ready.
If all goes to plan, formal steps could follow this week for Poch. pic.twitter.com/XZlqYVeVeh
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 3, 2024
Bayern Munich and Vincent Kompany gave fans another headscratcher of a performance leading into the international break. In this episode, Samrin speaks about some of the head-scratching moments:
- Vincent Kompany’s confusing lineup choices.
- What is the structural base that Kompany is trying to set up at Bayern?
- Yet another milestone (a major one) for Thomas Müller.
- A look at some of the individual performances by the players.
- A good day for Serge Gnabry.
- What is going on with the handball rule?
- A look at Julian Nagelsmann’s selections.
- A quick look at what happened in the Bundesliga including Bayer Leverkusen’s first defeat and a win for Borussia Mönchengladbach!
FC Barcelona’s Joan Laporta has enjoyed the start to Hansi Flick’’s tenure at the club.
“Hansi Flick has a winning mentality, we are very happy and proud of the squad,” said Laporta. “We see that La Masia is the core of our project. We’re also very happy with Deco, he did an excellent and magnificent job also in getting Hansi Flick here.”
It remains to be seen how this all ends up for Barca, but Flick’s impact — so far — has been undeniable. That Champions League tilt between Bayern Munich and Barca should be a lot of fun.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman did not pull any punches about Steven Bergwijn’s move to Al-Ittihad.
“Steven Bergwijn goes to Saudi Arabia at age 26,” Koeman was quoted as saying by CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano. “It’s clear that this has nothing to do with sportive ambition. His book with the Dutch National Team is closed.
“He probably knows that I would have said this.”
Yikes.
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…
