The Bundesliga title may have been secured, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a happy ending at Bayern Munich as both Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic found out. They paid with their jobs following a far-from convincing season and now the focus turns to the players with some in danger of being culled. Could Leon Goretzka be one of the players to shoulder the blame.
Bayern certainly have a midfield dilemma ahead of next season and there is going to be a loser somewhere. Ryan Gravenberch is demanding more game time if he is to fully commit to the club and Konrad Laimer has already been signed from RB Leipzig. Joshua Kimmich is widely seen as more of a number eight and the club are actively looking to bring in a new number six with Declan Rice said to be high up on Thomas Tuchel’s wish list despite his hefty price tag.
Bayern bosses were said to be dissatisfied with Goretzka’s progress this season and were becoming concerned that his partnership in the centre of midfield with Kimmich was past its best. The fact that a big Goretzka fan in Hasan Salihamidzic has left the club makes the former Schalke man’s position a little more precarious.
Not that it should have a bearing, but there are also rumours that those in charge are not overly happy with some of Goretzka’s off-field interests in political issues and feel he should be 100% focussed on football. As a side note, Raphael Brinkert, Goretzka’s PR manager, has close ties to the SPD political party- the opponents of the CDU/CSU that is strongly linked with Bayern.
Should Goretzka stay, he would surely see his game time reduced- something which he won’t want. The news is sure to alert clubs to his potential availability with Liverpool one club already being mentioned as possible suitors. There are going to be changes at Bayern ahead of next season, it’s just a question of who is going to be deemed replaceable. The writing does however look to be on the wall for Leon Goretzka.
