Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich almost signed Julian Brandt; FC Barcelona the favorites to sign Erling Haaland?; Chelsea’s Timo Werner prefers Manchester United over Barca; Robert Lewandowski, Kingsley Coman recognized; and MORE!

Bayern almost landed Brandt (Sport1)

Bayern Munich almost sign Borussia Dortmund star Julian Brandt as a youth player, but the on-again, off-again Germany international ultimately inked a deal to move from Wolfsburg to Bayer Leverkusen instead:

Julian Brandt made BVB dream of winning the cracker against FC Bayern with his opening goal - once the record champions almost got him themselves. That was revealed by the former Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

“Basically we scouted him too,” Rummenigge revealed to Bild: “He was part of the U17 national team. Besides Brandt, (Joshua) Kimmich and (Davie) Selke were also interesting. Fortunately, our scout Michael Reschke concentrated on Kimmich.”

Another player who is repeatedly associated with Bayern is Erling Haaland. Rummenigge also spoke about the Norwegian - and even hopes that the star will stay with BVB.

“My former colleague Aki Watze believes that the chances of keeping him are good. I can only keep my fingers crossed for him that he can do it,: says the former Bayern boss: “What other big attractions do we have in the Bundesliga? We don’t have that many of the quality. Haaland, of course — and Lewandowski. It is these players that the spectators come to the stadiums and turn on the television.”

Brandt had a scary exit from Der Klassiker and was subsequently diagnosed with a concussion. Hopefully, the versatile midfielder has a speedy recovery.

Lewy, Coman recognized by kicker (kicker via @iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich stars Robert Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman were named to kicker’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works Flagship Show Season 4, Episode 18 (Bavarian Football Works)

Another week of Bayern Munich related action has passed us by, and it’s provided plenty of food for thought. Julian Nagelsmann is hitting the first speedbump of his tenure, as injuries and absentees pile up while the performances get increasingly more desperate. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski was once again robbed of a deserved Ballon d’Or award, and the Bundesliga isn’t allowed to have spectators again. Not great news, all things considered.

In this episode, Ineednoname and Samrin discuss:

• Why Julian Nagelsmann is doing his best Carlo Ancelotti impression at the moment.
• The problems with Bayern’s tactical setup — starting from Alphonso Davies’ positioning and the consequences of the pseudo back-three.
• Thomas Muller’s strange role, and how it negatively affects the rest of the system.
• The problem with Leroy Sane right now — is it fatigue or another slump?
• Where are the young players? Why doesn’t Musiala play more often?
• Nagelsmann vs Flick — there’s something missing from this Bayern Munich team.
• Changing topics, talking about the impact of the return of ghost games on the Bundesliga.
• Why having closed stadiums just doesn’t make any sense (includes a rant by INNN).
• Closing the chapter on the Ballon d’Or — how Robert Lewandowski was robbed, and why Champions League performances matter more than ever to the club’s image.

Barca the favorites for Haaland? (The Hard Tackle)

FC Barcelona are said to be the “favorites” to land Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland:

According to a report from El Nacional, Barcelona have emerged as the favourites to secure the signing of Borussia Dortmund centre-forward Erling Haaland, who is also a key transfer target for arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Barcelona are on the lookout for a marquee signing to lead the club into a new era after the departure of club legend Lionel Messi this past summer. Furthermore, they have serious concerns with regard to the options in the No. 9 slot, with Sergio Aguero facing the prospect of retirement due to a heart condition while Memphis Depay has struggled to impact games when deployed centrally.

Haaland is just about every major club’s top transfer target for next summer, but it seems unlikely that Barca would be able to afford Haaland without a few big sales.

Werner prefers United over Barca (El Nacional)

Chelsea FC and German national team forward Timo Werner is said to prefer a move to Manchester United over Barca:

Timo Werner had reappeared in Barça’s plans. In the past, he was already linked with Barça and there was serious speculation about his possible hiring. The truth is that there were talks, but he opted for the proposal made by Chelsea. There, they promised to be the undisputed owner of a very ambitious project. And, above all, it was the salary they offered him that led him to leave with Roman Abramovich.

The problem is that another team has appeared, which is much more to the liking of Chelsea’s ‘11’. This is Manchester United, which is now the big favorite to get Werner. The reason is the arrival of Ralf Rangnick, who will be the coach until June, and then will occupy a place in the offices for the next two years.

He has a great relationship with Timo, as he was the one who took him to RB Leipzig, where he showed his best level. Abramovich prefers to sell him to Barça, not to strengthen a direct rival in the Premier League. However, the footballer’s desire is to leave for Old Trafford, although it is much more difficult to play regularly.

ICYMI: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 27 (Bavarian Football Works)

What a week…

Bayern Munich was trapped in the middle of roughly a billion stories, but none were bigger than the botched Ballon d’Or.

That subject — and a few others — were the focus of this Weekend Warm-up Podcast. Here is what we have on tap:

• The reality that Robert Lewandowski was, indeed, better than Lionel Messi in 2020 and 2021 — and why the fanboys and bots just need to get help.
• The insane Pini Zahavi rumor mill that the super agent totally contrived in an attempt to put some early pressure on Bayern Munich to extend Robert Lewandowski.
• A dive into Der Klassiker and what Bayern Munich might to try and cover for the potentially gaping hole on its midfield.

Kahn thinks Bellingham went too far (@iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn think Jude Bellingham’s accusations of match fixing by referee Felix Zwayer crossed the line.

Hertha wants Terzic (kicker)

Hertha Berlin could be eyeing a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Edin Terzic:

With Edin Terzic, the technical director of Borussia Dortmund, there could be a new attempt in the spring. The 39-year-old, who led BVB into the Champions League and the DFB Pokal triumph last season, was considered Bobic’s dream solution even after the false start to this season.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works Postgame Show — Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich further cemented their spot at the top of the Bundesliga table with the 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in this season’s first Bundesliga installment of Der Klassiker. The clash of titans well and truly lived up to its billing and it was an encounter that certainly wasn’t shy of controversial talking points, as is usually the case. We saw Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski goals, a handful of crunching challenges, both Marco Rose and Julian Nagelsmann having a fair go at referee Felix Zwayer, and just about everything in between.

After this result, Bayern go four points clear of Dortmund at the top of the table, boasting a goal difference of +30 after 14 matches played. Both sides had a plethora of chances and both Gregor Kobel and Manuel Neuer were called into action on a handful of occasions to keep their side in it, but Bayern saw it over the line in the end thanks to Lewandowski’s 77th minute penalty after Mats Hummels was ruled to have handled the ball in the box with his arm in too unnatural of a position. Rose, like most Dortmund fans, was left very frustrated by that penalty being given and Maro Reus not being awarded one earlier in the second half after being brought down by Lucas Hernandez in the box. Rose was given his marching orders late in the second half after arguing with Zwayer and the fourth official.

In this special edition Bavarian Podcast Works Postgame Show, Tom and Schnitzel team up to discuss:

• Bayern’s midfield being run right through
• The back line getting exposed far too often
• The brilliance of both Thomas Muller and Lewandowski
• Dayot Upamecano struggling vs. Haaland
• The NEED to have Joshua Kimmich back
• Our verdicts on how Corentin Tolisso paired Leon Goretzka in midfield