In an interview with the Munich evening newspaper, Lothar Matthäus explains why he doesn’t believe in Oliver Kahn or Hasan Salihamidzic returning to FC Bayern. He also talks about the potential transfer targets Dusan Vlahovic and Declan Rice.
The summer transfer market is only slowly picking up speed, but it is already clear that FC Bayern will go all out during this transfer period.
Two names are particularly present: Juve striker Dusan Vlahovic and Westham clearer Declan Rice. The AZ has insiders at Bayern Lothar Matthäus asked what he thinks of the desired players.
AZ: Mr. Matthäus, at FC Bayern there are two ideal players in this transfer period, Declan Rice in the six and Dusan Vlahovic in the centre-forward. Would both be suitable reinforcements?
LOTHAR MATTHÄUS: First of all, you have to say that Bayern with Karl Heinz Rummenigge got someone again who not only has great football expertise, but also a huge network. Rummenigge has made very good transfers in the past. I personally believe that both Rice and Vlahovic are physically very strong players who understand their respective positions. Both could look good on FC Bayern. It is precisely the two positions in which the club is looking for reinforcements.
Lothar Matthäus convinced of Rice and Vlahovic
Whereby Bayern is basically prominently occupied in central midfield for the coming season Joshua Kimmich , Leon Goretzka Ryan Gravenberch, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer …
Thomas Tuchel has apparently indicated that he would like to have a different type of player, a kind of successor to Javi Martínez: strong in the air, strong in tackles, robust, a bit different from Kimmich, who is more of a playing six. Now they are looking for a more aggressive leader. Rice has a lot of experience, he’s not the captain of West Ham United and an England international for nothing.
And Vlahovic?
I brought him into play a bit at Bayern myself, so you already know what I think of him. He’s a bit cheaper to get than other strikers that have already been discussed at Bayern.
Dusan Vlahovic would suit FC Bayern
You mean Harry Kane or Naples’ Victor Osimhen. However, Vlahovic has only scored 14 goals in 42 competitive games for Juventus this season…
But he has previously scored at Fiorentina (49 goals in 108 games, ed.). At Juve it just wasn’t right, there was also a lot of unrest in association with the point deduction. It’s similar to Bayern: the more unrest there is, the worse the results are, and the less enthusiastic the team is. Something like that puts a strain on a team.
I think Vlahovic would fit in well with Bayern – in terms of stature, the quality he undoubtedly brings with him, even if it hasn’t worked out that way lately. He’s a center forward who knows where the goal is. He would definitely be someone to think about. When I think of him, I think a bit of the young Romelu Lukaku: strong, tall, strong, a wall player, a headball player who gets his way, who knows what to do in the penalty area.
There could be some departures in the Bayern defense: João Cancelo but also Lucas Hernández and Benjamin Pavard . What loss would hurt the most?
Pavard. He can defend both on the right and in the middle. He did that well recently alongside Matthijs de Ligt, it harmonized. You have to wait and see which player really leaves. Theoretically could Joshua Kimmich also move back to the right-back position, where Pavard often played. Kimmich doesn’t want to play there, he’s already made it clear, but these are issues that those responsible have to discuss now. I have my ideas, my views, but FC Bayern don’t have to have the same taste as me (smiles). Now let’s just relax and see how it goes.
“Brazzo was always busy. Oli just did his thing”
Good cue: think it’s for Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic will give a way back to Bayern in any capacity?
I can’t imagine that at the moment. Both tried to get the best out of their time for Bayern, even if it wasn’t as successful as hoped in the end. Brazzo was always busy. Oli just did his thing. It didn’t work out the way all the fans, officials and former players wanted it to. Those who hired Brazzo and Oli actually expected something different – and not just in terms of the team’s performance on the pitch.
The most important thing is that FC Bayern lost something during this time that made the club strong over the past decades: this cohesion, this atmosphere in the club, which has always passed on to the team. In the past two years everything has turned a bit gray at Bayern, a bit sad. You want to get back to where you used to be: that it’s nice at Bayern, that the fans are having fun again – and that the employees like going to work.
