City/PSG’s spending has Nagelsmann worried about Bayern Munich getting left behind

Speaking to the press ahead of Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga opener against Gladbach, Julian Nagelsmann was asked about the big transfers that have been taking place abroad. No clubs were named, but it’s clear that the likes of Manchester City and PSG were being referenced.

In case you’re out of the loop, City signed Jack Grealish for £100m from Aston Villa, and are planning to raid Tottenham’s Harry Kane for another £100m or more. PSG, meanwhile, went on a huge spending spree this summer, topped off by adding Leo Messi to their ranks. Two teams that were already quite formidable have now added massive reinforcements. Meanwhile, Bayern had to be rather quiet in this window, owing to financial constraints imposed by the pandemic.

“There is a risk of being left behind internationally”, said Nagelsmann, via TZ. “The other German clubs will have an even harder time, but we [Bayern] can absorb this to some extent. I occasionally rub my eyes when I see these transfers. It’s not just the transfer fee, there’s also a whole other side to these transfers. We want to continue to be a major challenger in the Champions League.”

To the more cynically minded observer, this could be taken as a sign of Nagelsmann making excuses for the future, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is a subject that has long been discussed among the Bayern faithful, with Oliver Kahn and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge both expressing concerns over the state of the market.

The topic of City’s insane transfer spending was even addressed on this very blog a few weeks back, and that was before PSG signed Messi and Chelsea bought Lukaku. The fact is, it’s difficult for Bayern to compete in this market, and Nagelsmann’s not making any excuses. A Champions League victory, which Bayern achieved only a year ago, is now looking like a very difficult thing to accomplish.