Wing woes have Bayern Munich eyeing PSV Eindhoven duo

One of the primary points of discussion on the Bavarian Podcast Works show that was recorded yesterday, was the ongoing, inconsistent performances that Bayern Munich has experienced at the wing position.

Both Julian Nagelsmann and the Bayern Munich players are rallying around Leroy Sane in an effort to help shield him from some of the vitriol lobbed his way by fans inside the stadium on Sunday. Sane is now embarking on a key 2021/2022 campaign — the second season after his ACL surgery. With one year in the books already, the acclimation period to the club is over and he should be closer to 100% health-wise.

Not everything has clicked, however. While the defensive part of his game has improved incredibly, the former Manchester City star is struggling to get going offensively and seems to be battling himself.

Serge Gnabry recorded a brace against FC Köln, but has also endured some bouts with his consistency. Playing on the right side — where Sane usually lines up — seemed to put some life into Gnabry’s attacking game. Hopefully that is the spark he needs to get back on the upward trending path that he was once skyrocketing on.

As for Kingsley Coman, the oft-injured 2019/2020 Champions League hero is banged up once more. After a strong start to his 2020/2021 season, Coman cooled off in the second half and regressed into some of the bad habits we saw earlier in his career.

The lack of consistent effort by the three aforementioned wingers has propelled Jamal Musiala into serious consideration (among fans anyway) for a starting role. Musiala’s “wing game” is by no means a finished product — he is an eager defender, but not always in the best spot positionally — but he brings excitement, an attacking flair, a relentless desire to fight, and a sense of danger into every match. Still, the club seems to view Musiala as more of a central player, even though it could be strongly argued that he is the team’s best wing option at the moment.

All of that could mean that the Bavarians are on a stealth mission to find more options. According to Tz, Bayern Munich is still scoping two of PSV Eindhoven’s forwards, with an eye on them as wingers:

The transfer window is still open until August 31st. Those responsible for Bavaria are watching the market. As reported by the Dutch portal Voetbal International , Munich’s scouts were at the Champions League qualifier between Benfica Lisbon and Eindhoven on Wednesday to defeat PSV wingers Noni Madueke (19 / contract until 2024) from England and Cody Gakpo (22 / contract until 2025) from Holland.

The report states that Bayern Munich is not seeking a quick transfer, which means the players could be viewed as targets for next summer, when the Bavarians are likely to have more money available to spend. That would make sense given how committed the club is to Sane and Gnabry. Coman, meanwhile, has already had contentious negotiations with Bayern Munich and could be playing his last season in Bavaria.

The talent of Bayern Munich’s current group of wings is undeniable — they simply have otherworldly skills. Putting it together in a competitive game situation, however, has not always been the easiest chore for Sane, Gnabry, and Coman. Still, their collective potential is just nothing short of immense.

Whatever happens, the current group of wingers have the season to assert themselves and live up to the expectations that the club holds for them. For Coman, this will represent roughly 10 months of potential negotiating time and a chance to prove he has taken his game to the next level, while Sane and Gnabry are going to be seeking to show the criticism of their consistency is unwarranted.