Daily Schmankerl: No swap deal for Bayern Munich and Juventus involving Benjamin Pavard and Arthur; Hansi Flick expected more from German teams in the Champions League; Denis Zakaria and Marcus Thuram have plenty of suitors; plus MORE!

Pavard-Arthur swap? (@iMiaSanMia)

Twitter account @iMiaSanMia captured Sport Bild’s Christian Falk talking on “Bayern Insider” about a potential swap deal between Bayern Munich and Juventus involving Benjamin Pavard and Arthur.

We can assume these rumors came out of Italy, but Falk was quick to dismiss them — and for good reason:

Pavard is coming off of a strong performance against FC Barcelona, but does have a long range plan to play center-back. Will he get that chance at Bayern Munich?

While Bayern Munich is likely in the market for a central midfielder, Arthur might not fit exactly what the Bavarians need at this stage (and might command too big of a salary as well).

Bayern Alumni: Dorsch hits a screamer (@Bundesliga_EN)

Former Bayern Munich midfielder and current FC Augsburg Niklas Dorsch continues to show me might really have had what it takes to make it at the Allianz Arena:

Flick wants German clubs to get their act together (Sport1)

German national team coach Hansi Flick was not thrilled that only Bayern Munich advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League.

“Bayern did a great job, not only in the Bundesliga, but also internationally. They made it through the group stage very confidently without losing points. But like in England, where three clubs play at the same level, unfortunately we don’t have that in the Bundesliga,” Flick said. “That is also a reflection in the Champions League, the English are all completely in the next round and for us only Bayern is there. It’s not good for us. It’s about our players measuring themselves against the best. Overall, we cannot be satisfied with the fact that only Bavaria is in the next round. “

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 28 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich had another big week.

After a somewhat controversial victory over Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker, the Bavarians took on FC Barcelona in the Champions League — and subsequently sent the Catalans packing to the Europa League.

While that was the big news of the week, we’ve got even more on tap:

• A look at the fallout from Bayern Munich’s big victory over FC Barcelona.
• Joshua Kimmich is struggling with the after-effects of his bout with COVID-19, so maybe people should lay off hammering him and hope he feels better soon.
• Some thoughts on the rumored pursuit of Nico Schlotterbeck and what that might mean for Bayern Munich’s existing core of defenders on the roster — and out on loan.
• A quick take on the new season of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and what other comedies always make me laugh out loud one or more times per episode.

This picture is a riot (@brfootball)

Niklas Süle is a big dude, but the angle this pic was taken at — plus Riqui Puig’s small stature — makes for quite an image:

Zakaria is gaining more suitors (The Hard Tackle)

Denis Zakaria is gaining even more suitors as West Ham United joins, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona, Juventus, and others:

According to a report from Calciomercato, West Ham United have registered an interest in signing Borussia Monchengladbach midfield mainstay Denis Zakaria. The Switzerland international is out of contract at the end of the season and is also wanted by Liverpool and Everton.

Zakaria has been with Gladbach since 2017 when he arrived from Swiss giants BSC Young Boys and has grown into an integral member of the first team. To date, the 25-year-old has featured 141 times so far for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 11 goals and registering eight assists in the process.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs Mainz 05 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is playing its third game since last Saturday and after two HUGE victories, it would be easy to think that the Bavarians could be primed for a letdown.

With so many key players out and a huge dissing of its star player via the Ballon d’Or mess, the Bavarians might just be playing with a chip on their collective shoulder. Hopefully for Bayern Munich fans, that is the case. Here is what we have on tap:

• A look at where each team is in the table.
• An acknowledgement that Germany U-21 star Jonathan Burkardt deserves Bayern Munch’s full attention.
• A guess at Julian Nagelsmann’s line-up.
• A prediction on the match.

Thuram almost moved to Inter (Sport1)

Borussia Mönchengladbach star Marcus Thuram almost moved to Inter Milan last summer. I wonder if he wishes he made the leap?

Here are the details:

Marcus Thuram was about to move from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Inter Milan in the summer. How soon the transfer was actually imminent was revealed by the Gladbach star’s advisor, Mino Raiola, in the SPORT1 interview.

“He made a huge development there,” explained Raiola: “The way was clear for him to move abroad in the summer. Normally we would have taken him to Inter Milan. Everything was already clear until he got injured.”

Due to a torn inner ligament in his knee, Thuram was out of action for 59 days between August and October. Previously, other knee problems had already put him out of action.

The 24-year-old Frenchman is now “ready for all the big clubs, whether in England, Germany, Italy or France. He can choose.”

Raiola emphasized: “I like to negotiate with Max Eberl. He’s a great manager.”