Daily Schmankerl: Arsenal’s failed bid for Alphonso Davies; Thiago to recruit David Alaba to Liverpool?; Robert Lewandowski and Hansi Flick gel; and MORE!

Ex-Gunners front office man laments losing out on Davies (CBS Sports)

Former Arsenal head of international recruitment Francis Cagigao spoke to CBS Sports about his many triumphs in that role for the Gunners, but still thinks about the “one that got away.” In this case, that “one” is Bayern Munich phenom Alphonso Davies:

Cagigao believes that North America and the Caribbean are the areas “with the most scope for growth” and has kept a close eye on the top talent developing in the region over recent years. For instance, he reveals Arsenal had been weighing up a move for Alphonso Davies before Bayern Munich beat them to the signature of the Canadian of the 19-year-old.

An interesting note to Cagigao’s story is how he thinks Major League Soccer is poised to begin holding on to the talent that it develops rather than selling it for pennies on the dollar.

“The next chapter will be for American sides keeping their own talent,” Cagigao says. “That’s the next chapter. Instead of exporting and importing it’s developing and keeping. If you’re talking about expansion and a country becoming a solid football nation you have to learn to keep. At the moment, perhaps the pay structure in MLS doesn’t afford them the license to do that, but eventually I can imagine that will come. As the league becomes bigger and has more scope, presence and prestige, I imagine players will stay in their own clubs. A measure of how strong a league is, in my opinion, how many homegrown players can stay and play in their own country.”

“True”: ManCity preparing to bid €40m for Zakaria (@cfbayern)

Look who’s back! It’s Mr. True. While he hasn’t had much truth to spread about Bayern Munich lately, Mr. Falk has a sort of scoop about Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria. Manchester City supposedly wants to buy the coveted midfielder for €40 million. Will that be enough for Gladbach? Probably not...

Thiago a key to Alaba move? (TEAMTalk)

With Bayern Munich’s third attempt to re-sign David Alaba being deemed a failure, there is rampant speculation as to where he could land. From Juventus to Inter Milan to FC Barcelona to Real Madrid to Tom Adams’ Beer League Squad...everyone wants a piece of the Austrian.

Liverpool is among the prominent clubs rumored to have interest and Jurgen Klopp might be counting on former Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara to play a role in convincing Alaba to move to England:

Respected Bild journalist Christian Falk says that the latest round of talks over a new deal failed to secure an agreement. The Bundesliga champions now appear resigned to losing the player at the end of his contract.

Furthermore, it’s now claimed that Thiago could help Liverpool grease the wheels over a deal. The Spain star moved to Liverpool himself over the summer after finding himself in a very similar situation. Liverpool maintain a healthy relationship with Bayern chiefs after securing Thiago’s signature. In addition, it’s also claimed he could also help talk Alaba into moving to Anfield. Alaba almost left Bavaria in the summer, but now seems certain to end his 10-year spell with the Bundesliga champions.

Undoubtedly, if Liverpool decided to seriously pursue Alaba, Thiago will be among those working the red carpet (you see what I did there?). Remember, though, Alaba is seeking upwards of €400,000 per week at a time when every club’s finances have been stunted due to the pandemic. Just about every club linked with Alaba will have at least some reservations in pursuing the Austrian if he is not at least a little flexible with that number.

Lewy and Flick: A match made for Bundesliga history (Bundesliga.com)

In the weekly release we receive from the Bundesliga, the following video was included detailing the incredible form that Robert Lewandowski has had under Hansi Flick:

It might not quite be a Michaël Cuisance-esque hype video, but it was a quality watch nonetheless.

Salzburg star garnering attention (Transfer Market Web)

RB Salzburg has become known for its ability to develop young players and one of its recent success stories is Patson Daka. The 22-year-old striker has some very big clubs in Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Stade Rennais eyeing him up:

Standing out from Red Bull Salzburg ranks, Zambian international striker Patson Daka (22), who basically replaced Erling Haaland in Austrian giants roster, has reportedly been targeted by Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Stade Rennais. The player’s currently worth around 20 million euros.

BFW community...get your scouting hat on for Tuesday. This should be fun if you are the type who likes to see how young talent reacts under the bright lights of the Champions League.

Robots disrespecting the bald community (@JimMFelton)

Earlier this week, I (loosely) defended the bald community, but the world’s robot overlords are not as open minded.

As Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski once said, “This aggression will not stand, man.”

Someone fire up the Larry David signal...I think we have a future “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode in the works!

ICYMI: Still need to get warm? (Bavarian Football Works)

If you still need something to read and missed our Weekend Warm-up yesterday, you can catch up on everything from Bayern Munich’s plan to avoid heavy legs to a new “Saved by the Bell” series to Bundesliga predictions.

Spooktacular! (@ESPNFC)

Liga MX clubs are getting done on Halloween!