BFW Commentary: There are some reasons why Bayern Munich should pass on Karim Adeyemi

Let’s get his out of the way early: Red Bull Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi is a fine player.

In fact, Adeyemi has the potential to be a really good player. That said, however, Bayern Munich should pass on signing him and here’s why:

The Price

With a rumored price tag of €30 million to €35 million, Adeyemi simply costs too much for a position that Bayern Munich might not really need for a while. That money could be applied to other areas of the team or used in a few years when the club will be able to pursue one of its long-time targets, Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz.

Every significant financial move that happens now, will have a trickledown effect to future moves. This move would be a luxury purchase in an age where even rich clubs cannot afford such things.

Photo by Hans Peter Lottermoser/SEPA.Media /Getty Images

The Living Legend

Speaking of Lewandowski, the Polish Hitman looks like he could be a strong starter for another three-to-four years (at a minimum). Bringing a young player to sit the bench behind him seems...unfair?

Unless Julian Nagelsmann is going to permanently change his formation in the near-future (a legitimate possibility), Adeyemi would find himself mired on the bench behind Robert Lewandowski for the immediate future.

The Fit

At 5-foot-9-inches (or is it 1.8 meters?), Adeyemi is not quite the physical specimen that Lewandowski is. While Nagelsmann has a proven ability to work with smaller strikers, he did so in a different formation. Is Nagelsmann planning a permanent change to a 4-4-2 or a back three? If not, there seems to be little reason to think that Adeyemi could step-in and do what Lewandowski does on a long-term basis.

The Back-up

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s contract ends after this season, but — if Bayern Munich is exercising fiscal sanity — why would the Bavarians drop ¹⁄₃ of nine figures on a back-up striker, when they have a perfectly good option in-house right now?

The Backlog

People might laugh at considered Joshua Zirkzee and Fiete Arp as part of the backlog, but here me out. Both players came to Bayern Munich as highly-touted, nearly “can’t miss” prospects — and both flamed out (at least as of now, though both are doing fine on loan). Now, Bayern Munich is stuck with two players, who you could argue both stunted developmentally at the club. Why risk €30 million to have another young striker sit in the shadow of Lewandowski?

Add in fellow youngsters Lucas Copado and Malik Tillman, and it just does not seem like adding another warm body into the mix to sit behind Lewandowski would be a great use of that money.

The Pipedream

While nearly everyone shuns the idea that Bayern Munich could sign Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland there are some reasons to believe the Norwegian could be lining himself up to stay in Germany (including reports by Fabrizio Romano, who is as tied into the transfer market as anyone). Let’s take a look:

• Recent stories suggest that Haaland and his agent, Mino Raiola, are not necessarily aligned on the importance of money. Haaland is said to not have a strong focus on his salary, while Raiola wants him to make €50 million per season. There is likely a reason Haaland family friend and pundit Jan Aage Fjørtoft detailed that the striker’s focus is not on his wallet.
• There are now also rumors floating that Haaland could re-work his deal with Dortmund to stay for another season or two. Why would he do that when mega-deals from Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, or Chelsea FC await? Does he like Dortmund that much or is he looking to line up a move to a club where he really wants to play?
• If there is any coach, who could make even a temporary pairing of Haaland and Lewandowski work, it is Nagelsmann. Truthfully, it would kill two birds with one stone for the former RB Leipzig manager. He would have a reason to shift to his favored back-three in order to make it all work.
• Why risk spending €30 million on Adeyemi if there is even a slight chance you could land Haaland?

Summary

Adeyemi is likely headed for a nice career, but it does not necessarily have to be with Bayern Munich to be considered a success. As for Bayern Munich, dropping that much money on player, who likely would not have a consistent role just seems silly.

What do you think?