Sports Weekly all-media reporter Huang Sijun
While Borussia Dortmund have scored twice in this summer's transfer market – signing two German international centre-backs, Jules and Niko Schlotterbeck – Bayern, who have already ended early, remained on track, as the priority was to deal with the three cores – Thomas Müller, Neuer and Lewandowski – plus Gnabry's contract extension. On Tuesday, Mueller finally renewed his contract until 2024, and it should be Neuer's turn next, but levan and Gnabry's contract renewal work is still difficult, and whether it can blossom is full of variables.
Bayern board chairman Kahn and sporting director Salihamidzic successfully persuaded Mueller to renew his contract.
On the other hand, the controversy surrounding the team's two-day vacation to the Spanish island of Ibiza after a fiasco away to Mainz 05 on Saturday afternoon continues to simmer. The outside world wonders what kind of competitive and mental state the Bundesliga 10-time champion, who has no intention of fighting in the bundesliga 10-game team, will show when the home game against relegation team Stuttgart on Sunday night will have, and what kind of impact it will have on Nagelsmann's coaching in the long run.
3 people with an annual salary of 20 million euros + ?
Bayern were in a slump in the sprint phase of the season, and the continued fermentation of the renewal problem of Levan and others is recognized as the main off-site interference. Now, when Bayern first broke out in the Quarterfinals of the Champions League, and then locked up the Bundesliga title three rounds in advance, thus actually completing the competitive task of this season ahead of schedule, this protracted "contract renewal war" finally won the first battle: Müller, whose original contract expired in the summer of 2023, renewed his contract until 2024.
In fact, as early as about two weeks ago, "Kicker" has disclosed that Bayern has basically negotiated with the main and vice captains Neuer and Müller, and both veterans will renew their contracts for one year. After a 10-game Bundesliga victory over Borussia Dortmund 3-1 at home on 23 April, Müller, who became the first man in Bundesliga history with 11 titles, made it clear: "Today's feeling is that it is difficult to leave. Therefore, his renewal is actually only left with the question of when it will be officially announced.
Mueller relived the "Child's Dream" in his little bedroom.
In the end, Bayern chose to announce the good news of Müller's contract extension on the day after Dortmund officially introduced Schrotbeck, or the day most of the players returned to Seberna Avenue for training after their two-day holiday in Ibiza. Is this day purely coincidental, or is it a carefully selected limelight to steal the opponent, or is it a distraction from the firepower of public opinion? In any case, Bayern, whose atmosphere inside and outside the team before and after the 10th consecutive championship, needs such news too much to boost morale and stir up the mood of fans.
On the last renewal two years ago, Mueller's basic pre-tax annual salary is believed to have risen from 15 million euros to around 17 million. After this renewal, it rose to just over 20 million (according to Bild) – considering Bayern's financial situation and salary structure today, the salary increase is not insignificant. It is not difficult to imagine that the current annual salary is slightly higher than that of Mueller's Neuer (18 million or so) (before the renewal), and the annual salary after the renewal will also rise to more than 20 million. With the addition of Levan, Bayern have 3 people with a basic pre-tax annual salary of more than 20 million. From a purely economic point of view, this is not a good thing.
If nothing else, Bayern will complete the renewal of Neuer's contract before the season officially ends, and Nord's new contract will end in the summer of 2024. Mueller will turn 34 when he fulfills his new contract (there is still more than 3 months to go before he turns 35), while Neuer will be 38 years old, and both will reach the normal retirement age of their respective positions. However, it is too early to say that this is the last contract extension between the two, especially Neuer. After all, before he last renewed his contract, there were rumors that he asked for a renewal until 2025. At that time, after the renewal of the contract, the Nord team also said: "As long as I am healthy, I hope to play as long as possible." "The goalkeeper is, after all, a position where playing to the age of 40 is not excessive, and Buffon is a vivid example.
Once Neuer renews his contract, it will be difficult for Nibel to return to Bayern in 2023.
Whether Neuer is the last to renew his contract or will continue to stay until he turns 39 or 40, it is unacceptable for Nibel, who has transferred freely from Schalke 04 as a "Neuer successor" in the summer of 2020. After a year on neuer's bench, the 25-year-old Niebel has been on loan this season to work out in Ligue 1 powerhouse Monaco, with good results. The loan is for a period of two years and it is planned that he will return to Bayern in the summer of 2023. But once Neuer renews his contract, "there's no point in me coming back." ”
Nibel, who signed a contract with Bayern until 2025, stressed early on that he did not want to be a substitute for Neuer, and now he has reiterated this view. Of course, he didn't give up on his goal of becoming number one goalkeeper at Bayern, "If there's an opportunity to be number one there, I'll never say no. "Anyway, after renewing his contract with Neuer, Salihamidzic had to talk to Nibel in depth about where to go next.
Levan has no hope of renewing his contract? Gnabry was still hesitating
Of course, Nibel is not an urgent problem to be solved, and the two top scorers, Levan and Gnabry, are left behind. It is not difficult to see from the recent Reports of the German media and Levan's public statements that the two-time "World Footballer of the Year" is dissatisfied with the attitude of bayern executives on the issue of renewing his contract with him, and It is certain that Sully and Kahn have not yet provided Levine with a new contract offer. All indications are that the possibility of the two sides renewing the contract is getting smaller and smaller, and even the willingness to continue the contract is getting smaller and smaller.
Against Mainz, Levan captained the field and scored a goal.
According to German media reports, Bayern's attitude has changed from selling Levan this summer for more than 40 million euros if it does not renew its contract to avoid running out of money, to being determined not to sell it this summer (mainly because it cannot find a qualified replacement at the right price), preferring to use him until the contract expires, and Bayern's top management has informed Levan of the decision. Unless Levan insists on leaving this summer (which is unlikely), Barcelona, which is rumored to be interested in him or even ready for a 3-year contract, will not do so.
In contrast, Bayern's attitude towards retaining Gnabry is relatively clear. An offer with an annual pre-tax salary believed to be between €17 million and €19 million (in the same slot as this season's extension to Kimmich, Goretzka and Koman) has been laid out in front of Gnabry, but the players have not yet accepted it. On the one hand, Gnabry felt that bayern executives were snubbing him, and the offer came too late, not as cheerful as when he renewed his contract with The likes of Kimmich, Goretzka and Koman. On the other hand, Gnabry believes that time is in his favor, and after fulfilling his contract with Bayern until 2023, he can also get a big contract at other clubs, plus a large signing fee.
Excluding the so-called attitude factors, the offer provided by Bayern for Gnabry can fully match his competitive value and contribution, at least the willingness to retain people is much stronger than Thatule, and the recognition of Gnabry is far above Jules, which can be said to be full of sincerity. If this is not the case, there is really no need for the two sides to continue to cooperate. If the salary budget prepared for Gnabry is put into the transfer market, Bayern will not find a suitable replacement.
During the 2019/20 Champions League victory, Gnabry scored several key goals.
In the process of Bayern's 2019/20 Champions League victory, especially in several knockout matches, Gnabry's goals were more decisive than Levan's performances, including scoring the first two goals in the first leg of the 1/8 final with a 3-0 away win over Chelsea, rewriting the score to 3-1 when they swept Barca 8-2 in the 1/4 final, and the semi-final of the 3-0 elimination of Lyon was to help Bayern start the record with his personal ability, and then made up for the second shot to set the victory. Around the same time, Gnabry played the No. 9 spot in the German team that changed to "Little Quicks" and scored 10 goals in 10 games from November 2018 to November 2019!
However, since helping Bayern to become the "Treble" again, Gnabry's development has come to an abrupt end and entered a bottleneck period. Whether at the club or the national team, his performances are erratic, you never know in which game he will suddenly burst out, and there are very few decisive performances in the big scenes. Last season, Bayern's new No. 7 did not finally score their 10th Bundesliga goal until the final round of a 5-2 away win over Augsburg, maintaining the perfect record of scoring in double figures every season since participating in the Bundesliga, and the Champions League was directly handed over. At the subsequent European Championships, he not only lost his grain, but also lost his due vitality and sense of existence.
Gnabry has scored 13 goals in the Bundesliga this season, leading the Bundesliga homegrown top scorers list.
Heading into the season, Gnabry's stats have picked up, currently leading the Bundesliga homegrown top scorers list with 13 goals, as well as a feat of direct involvement in a 5-0 away win over Stuttgart (3 goals and 2 assists). But under Nagelsman, once the frontcourt is in order, he is often squeezed onto the bench by Levan, Muller, Comão, Sane, and even the youngster Musiara. For example, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final at home to Villarreal, he did not replace Musiara until the 82nd minute.
Before scoring on the bench in a 4-1 away win over Freiburg, Gnabry once made seven consecutive league rounds. Before the big breakout against Stuttgart, he also stopped production in six consecutive league rounds. Despite being the team's second-highest scorer, he has not been able to consistently output like Levan, scoring three consecutive official matches so far this season, and even scoring only once in two consecutive league games – the recent two league rounds between Bielefeld and Borussia Dortmund.
Vacations boost cohesion after a fiasco?
No one knows if Gnabry can break through the bottleneck at Bayern and whether a transfer will help him to the next level. According to people familiar with the matter, the reason why Gnabry hesitated on the issue of contract renewal, there are also competitive considerations, because he is eager to develop to the middle, should be like around 2019 in the national team to play a "guerrilla center" role.
In fact, Gnabry did play in the middle this season, such as the 5-2 home win over Benfica in the Champions League group stage, where he played in the 3151 formation and scored goals. But such opportunities are hard to come by, because whether it is the 9th, 9th and 1st, 10th or 8th positions, Bayern have a better candidate than Gnabry. Unless there are 5 or even 6 people in the frontcourt, it is difficult for Gnabry to find a position in the middle of the road in a well-organized situation. Moreover, the coach's practice of piling people in the front during the absence of Alfonso Davis and Goretzka is not ideal in terms of both actual combat results and acceptance within the team, and it is difficult to serve as a conventional solution.
When Kimmich has become an indisputable leader, his peer Gnabry is slightly ambiguous.
In addition, Gnabry, who is already 26 years old, may also aspire to enjoy leadership status in the team like Kimmich of the same age, not just a salary to reach the leadership level. Sport1 revealed that most of Bayern's players were led by Gnabry, Kimmich and Lucas Hernandez on a group vacation the day after the match against Mainz, while the main and vice-captains Neuer and Müller did not "join the group", nor did Yu Pamecano, Urreich, Zabitzer and Jules, who will soon move to Dortmund. Due to the pandemic, it is always difficult for Bayern players to get together, so they want to use this opportunity to celebrate the victory together to strengthen the cohesion of the team. That's why Salihamidzic has publicly stated that it's a "team-building way."
Unfortunately, the vacation in the middle of the season occurred after a crushing defeat, which attracted criticism from the outside world. Why choose such an awkward time? Because the penultimate round of matches against Stuttgart was scheduled on Sunday night, there was only one rest day after the game. After the final battle with Wolfsburg, Bayern will go to Marienplatz in the center of Munich on the Sunday afternoon of May 15 to celebrate the victory with the fans. Due to the epidemic, Bayern have not been able to enjoy with the fans for the past 2 years. After the celebration, the players were going on vacation with their families, so the top management approved the team to go on vacation after the match against Mainz. But "Kicker" revealed that there are actually objections within the club. Because the team only informed the female leader Krueger of the decision last Thursday, and Kruger also relayed it to the coaching staff on the same day. Nagelsmann's angry behavior after the defeat to Mainz is probably related to the team's first cut and last play.
After the match against Mainz, Kimmich took everyone to Ibiza to celebrate.
After the fiasco against Mainz and this holiday storm, bayern will have to put a huge question mark on what kind of competitive state and mental outlook bay bay will show in the remaining two rounds, especially in this Sunday's home finale against Stuttgart. The bigger question mark is: Would Nagelsman dare to start drastically changing the championship team before the end of the season?