Daily Schmankerl: Sandro Wagner on the move? Arsenal wants James Rodriguez? How great is Joshua Kimmich’s mustache?

Galatsaray interested in borrowing Sandro Wagner? (Diriliş Postası)

Could Sandro Wagner be taking his talents to Turkey? A recent report in Turkey alleged that Galatasaray had been offered Wagner’s services for a six-month loan beginning in the winter transfer window. Wagner has received little playing time this season under Niko Kovač, and many speculate that he could be interested in a change of scenery. The fee for the loan would hypothetically be €1.5 million, roughly half of Wagner’s salary.

SportBild, however, has all but squashed the rumor. According to Christian Falk’s information, Wagner has not in fact been offered to Galatasaray and will stay with Bayern. Bayern’s squad is already small, and the Rekordmeister simply has no reason to part with Wagner, who still provides valuable depth behind Robert Lewandowski.

Arsenal to bid €90 million for James Rodriguez (Calciomercato)

Calciomercato, citing our favorite Spanish source Don Balon, claims that Arsenal’s coach Unai Emery is “fascinated” by Bayern Munich’s disgruntled Colombian and Arsenal are ready to jump into the frenzy over James with Juventus, Liverpool, and Manchester United. What’s not to like — besides the fact that Bayern will somehow decline to buy a player for €42 million that Real Madrid then sells for €90+? Hmmm...

Joshua Kimmich’s mustache is not getting enough play (Bavarian Football Works)

We used a picture similar to the one below for our post on lineup predictions for today’s Germany-Netherlands match. However, the picture and greatness of Kimmich’s ‘stache is not getting enough love and I demand that be changed!

Bongarts/Getty Images

Right now, he’s got the caterpillar going, but if he can evolve to full “pushbroom” by the end of the month, then this could mean that Germany is on its way to turning the corner and will return to being a world soccer power - rather than an also ran in the second rung of the League of Nations, the National League, or whatever UEFA is calling that thing. These things (Germany’s success and Kimmich’s mustache) are assuredly related.

Jürgen Klopp wants Luka Jović, but teammate thinks Bayern should grab him (Sport1)

Luka Jović’s popularity is growing and has caught the attention of Liverpool head man Jürgen Klopp.

Eintracht Frankfurt must obviously fear the collapse of his “magic triangle.” As the online portal LFC Globe reports attacker Luka Jovic has aroused the interest of Liverpool FC with his services. In addition, the Serbian international was watched at the weekend during a performance for his home country by scouts of FC Barcelona .

”Our grandstand has been full of scouts from the absolute top clubs for weeks, sending their best people,” said Frankfurt’s sporting director Fredi Bobic told the Bild newspaper. “That’s also recognition, we will be noticed again in Europe.”

Teammate Sebastian Haller, who has had a tremendous season himself, thinks Bayern should take a strong look at the 20-year old Serbian.

I would take Luka. If things continue for him, he can become a Bundesliga star.

Former Borussia Dortmund man Ousmane Dembele hit with fine for messy house (LaLigaNews.co.uk)

File this one under odd. Ousmane Dembele was fined for leaving his house in Germany a mess before when he bolted Borussia Dortmund for FC Barcelona.

Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele has been hit with a fine for leaving his former home in Germany ‘a mess’. German newspaper Bild have added extra weight on the shoulders of the French striker, who has had an unfortunate month with Barca.

Dembele, who has been disciplined by the Catalan side for arriving late to training and games, faces a tough test to get back into the starting eleven now due to his behavior. Having moved to Barca from Dortmund, Dembele has now been hit with a fine of £20k for leaving his former home in a bad state.

The Frenchman is accused and found guilty of leaving rotten food in the fridge, unpaid bills, bags of old plastic, rubbish in various rooms and general damage. Upon leaving the property in 2017, Dembele also never returned the keys and he must now pay the fine. Dembele did start the season well but his blips have now led him to lose form and see his place lost Brazilian Malcom.

Draxler hailed as savior of Paris Saint-Germain’s midfield (PSGTalk.com)

Is Julian Draxler staking his claim to a central midfield role in Paris?

The situation:

The negotiation process isn’t the only black cloud hanging over (Adrien) Rabiot’s head. His attitude has been brought into question as of late following a suspension for being late to a meeting and his overall effort on the pitch. This behavior is why manager Thomas Tuchel is leaving him off the starting eleven against significant opponents like Lille OSC and Napoli.

It’s led to Draxler being called upon to play as a central midfielder in recent weeks. Typically focusing on the attack, the Germany international is now tracking back to aide Marco Verratti in developing PSG’s offense. In a short sample size, Draxler has performed admirably, especially considering the quality of their competition in those two matches.

Okay, go on:

The 25-year-old is displaying a better passing ability to his French counterpart. From the midfield, the German had the most touches with 119 in his first appearance as a central midfielder. With the ball at his feet, Draxler has shined the brightest. Against Lille, the German was able to complete 95 out of his 100 passes in the match.

Against Napoli, Draxler had 103 touches in the match, which led to him completing 91 out of 95 passes and creating successful ball movement. When it came to building the attack, Draxler had 34 forward passes. Despite his high amount of passes, only 10 were in the attacking third of the pitch. So, therein lies the struggles for him. Draxler isn’t at fault for the small number of offensive build-ups though as Gli Azzurri did a masterful job defending in the second half.

Perhaps Draxler is finally settling into a consistent role in Paris.

A call for fan groups (BavarianFootballWorks.com)

We are trying something here at the Daily Schmankerl and need YOUR help. If you read my man Tommy Adams’ piece about his experience with the FCBNYC Fan Club (if you haven’t, SHAME ON YOU!), you could see how great the event was. So we want to highlight some of these wonderful groups that are out there globally and this is what we need from you:

• Name of the group
• Location
• Year founded
• Leadership (if you have people are kind of running the show)
• Meeting place
• Social media handles
• Pictures

We want to be able to feature a different fan group every week this season. Maybe we can do it, maybe not...but only YOU can help decide the fate of this idea. Send your info to: barrelsportsblog@gmail.com