Bayern Munich defender Josip Stanišić received plenty of playing time at left-back, right-back, and center-back in the first half of the season. However, that will likely change now that Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Itō have returned. All of a sudden, Stanišić will be scrapping for minutes with the aforementioned returnees, plus Konrad Laimer, Sacha Boey (for now), and Kim Min-jae. Even with his ability to play anywhere across the backline, the Croatian knows it will be a fight.
While most players appear to be content, there could be a few looking to leave the club. "There could always be a player who is perhaps a little bit less satisfied and who, when the injured players return, says: I want to do something different," Eberl told Sport1 (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). The biggest candidates for a move appear to be right-back Sacha Boey and goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, who is already in the midst of an unsuccessful loan stint with Hamburger SV.
Bayern Munich is one match away from the winter break but the last one will be a stiff road test in the Frauen-Bundesliga against sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen. It has been a busy period for the Frauen, but Champions League success - qualifying straight to the quarterfinals - and a strong league position should make for a festive holiday season. The Bavarians are still six points atop the league, with regular challengers VfL Wolfsburg looking in raggedly inconsistent form despite not being all that far behind.
According to a report from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich has finalized its rumored deal for SD Aucas' 17-year-old center-back Virgilio Olaya. Reports had been swirling about Bayern Munich being close to a deal, but now it looks close to the finish line and the Bavarians are just seeking out a good loan spot for the youngster: Bayern reach verbal agreement deal to sign 17 year old Ecuadorian CB
So...what was the most important fixture? Some will point to the loss vs. Arsenal as the most vital because it showed the Bavarians the level they will need to get to in order to be a real threat in the Champions League, but - in reality - it was Bayern Munich's grueling 2-1 decision over Paris Saint-Germain that was most important.
Bayern Munich had a tremendous first half as it closed things down with a 4-0 win over Heidenheim. There was so much to unpack from the Hinrunde, so why not do it right here at Bavarian Football Works? We will be covering a long look back at how everything played out, rating the players, remember the good times and the bad times,
Bayern Munich's imperious 16 out of 16 wins to start the season saw fans and analysts alike blown away by the form and footballing quality on display. Bayern's subsequent run of 6 wins in 9 games was less impressive and some of the Bavarians' weaknesses were put more on display during that time. The German champions struggled to keep a clean sheet, the man to man defending at the back began to see the high line exposed more often
Jonathan Tah's signing at Bayern Munich was a long time in the making. Bayern first approach him in 2024 and tried until the end of the summer transfer window to lock the German international down, but negotiations with then-club Bayer Leverkusen fell apart in the end. A year later, Tah's contract expired and allowed the Bavarians to pick the former Hamburger SV defender up without negotiating with their Bundesliga rivals.
Many fans were hoping to see Aleksandar Pavlović and Tom Bischof as the starting midfield for Bayern Munich, but alas, NEITHER player is available due to illness. The sick (not in the good way) midfield duo joins Konrad Laimer (suspension), Manuel Neuer (muscle fiber tear), Sacha Boey (ill), Kim Min-jae (knee problems) and Joshua Kimmich (ankle issues) on the list of players dealing with, well, something. That does not even include Jamal Musiala, who is out with a long-term injury.
"The first time I took a shower, all the emotions came out. I was crying, doubting myself, but I had someone beside me to tell me that everything's gonna be okay," said Davies. "I was praying it wasn't anything serious, but when I got out of the MRI, they told me it was an ACL and meniscus; my whole energy went out of my body, all the confidence I had just escaped. "I remember the first couple of weeks, between six and eight weeks, I wasn't able to walk. I had to be on crutches...When you're up there working out, and you see all your friends, having fun playing football, and sometimes you think to yourself, 'I wish I was out there.' It's like when your mom says you can't go outside and then you see all your friends running around outside, that's basically how I felt at that moment."
Newcastle paid €90 million for him in the summer, that's a fact. We saw something special in him. The difficulty in the transfer also stemmed from the publicity, where positions were discussed and leaked. We had set a certain budget for ourselves, which VfB Stuttgart didn't accept. Then we had to make a decision and say no,
While that did not end well, he retained his reputation as one of the most notable sporting management figures in Germany. So when his son Nils Schmadtke burst on to the scene and started working in the same field his father was, there were murmurs of nepotism being at work. Those allegations gained traction when he started getting more and more positions of power in German football at alarming speeds and peaked when he landed the job of Head of Scouting at Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are interested in signing the Guinea-Bissau striker Franculino Dju. The 21-year-old has done quite well for Midtjylland, and he has attracted the attention of Bayern Munich as well. The player will cost around 25-30 million, and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool comes forward with an official offer to sign him. According to Christian Falk, Liverpool are very interested in securing his signature.
Vincent Kompany has been handling it very cleverly, using the same players consistently, so everyone knows how to work together. Of course, as we approach the end of the year, you see this small squad is lacking the advantage of depth, and they're getting tired. You saw it in the last few games, conceding first and having to fight to come back in the match.
Tottenham Hotspur have been named as 'one of the best-positioned teams' to sign a top Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder who would deliver an immediate upgrade to Thomas Frank's weak engine room. The Spurs boss appears to go from game to game not actually knowing what his best midfield make-up is, constantly chopping and changing the likes of Bayern loanee Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Sarr, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.
Bayern Munich is looking forward to a new year and a transfer window that promises additions to the squad - even without any signings. That's because Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and Hiroki Itō are all slated to make their returns. Davies has already begun coming off the bench in December and Itō made his first start of the year on Sunday vs. Mainz 05.
Bruno Fernandes' long-term future at Manchester United is once again under the spotlight, with Bayern Munich emerging as serious admirers of the Portuguese midfielder. According to talkSPORT, the Bundesliga giants are closely monitoring Fernandes' situation, while there is a growing feeling inside the United dressing room that the 31-year-old could be approaching his final season at Old Trafford. Fernandes has been a central figure at United since his arrival, often carrying the creative burden during difficult periods for the club.