Bayern Munich cannot get rid of Michael Cuisance fast enough

Bayern Munich took a gamble when the club signed Michael Cuisance from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2019. It increasingly appears that the club will soon have to write off the now 22-year-old as a loss.

Bayern is reportedly seeking to sell the player or, at the very least, send him on loan (Plettenberg). Cuisance is under contract with the Rekordmeister until 2024. His hypothetical transfer worth—or resale value—has plummeted steadily ever since he joined Bayern after stewing on the bench in Gladbach.

Despite talk that Cuisance would try to “prove himself” to new coach Julian Nagelsmann, Bild reported weeks ago that he has made only a halfhearted effort in training, and Nagelsmann himself confirmed that impression in candid remarks in today’s press conference, even though he insisted that Cuisance had “trained well.”

After Cuisance was dropped from Bayern’s Supercup squad against Borussia Dortmund, not because of a looming transfer, but rather because of his poor performances in training (revealed by Florian Plettenberg in his podcast), Nagelsmann was asked about the player ahead of Bayern’s Sunday game against FC Köln.

Nagelsmann said (TZ), “Of course he can stay in the squad. I’m only assessing the situation. His preseason was so so, with good and bad. He has to become more stable to play a leading role. Leon or Josh are ahead of him at his position. Coco, too. So he has to fight to catch up and push himself. He had good moments, for example, against Napoli, as well as some moments that were not so good. He has no easy situation at Bayern—also with his loans a bit, too. But he’s trained very well. Of course he can stay past August 31. But Hasan discusses transfer questions and not me.”

Sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic may well wish that Nagelsmann had said nothing at all about Cuisance, because it is not hard to read between the lines that Bayern has a disgruntled player who is not performing in training even as the club is eager to find a suitor. As Cuisance seemingly sabotages his future with his incorrigible attitude, Bayern cannot get rid of him fast enough.