Weekend Warm-up: Should Bayern Munich sell Serge Gnabry?; Bayern’s defensive options for next season are causing angst; Throwing it back to Whitesnake; Bundesliga predictions; and MORE!

When it comes to squad planning, there might not be a more intriguing set of negotiations on the table for Bayern Munich than what is going on with Serge Gnabry.

The talented winger might not have the profile of other 2023 expirees like Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, or Thomas Müller, but his status with the club seems more uncertain than those players — despite being younger and on the German national team.

While he is absolutely valued and wanted by the club, Gnabry’s place on the squad could be hindered by his salary request, which is allegedly in the €15 million to €20 million range, and his position.

With the recent news that Julian Nagelsmann plans on shifting to a back-three based formation that will utilize wing-backs, Gnabry position as a wing will be eliminated. While the 26-year-old can slide inside to play one of the two attacking midfield roles, Gnabry could be competing for playing time with Müller, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, Paul Wanner, Jamal Musiala (if he doesn’t get strictly pushed to the 8 position), and Gabriel Vidovic next season.

While Wanner or — more likely — Vidovic could even be loaned away, Gnabry would still be facing stiff competition for playing time at a position where the club is already a ton of money invested. While unlikely, Bayern Munich could also pursue a natural attacking midfielder or a hybrid 9/10 that would be paid less than Gnabry in the transfer market.

At one point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that things were going to work out with Gnabry, but now there is at least some doubt.

To be clear, Bayern Munich cannot afford to let another valuable asset walk away for nothing at the end of the 2022/2023 season. If a deal cannot be worked out, Bayern Munich must sell Gnabry to help bolster the club’s coffers — and other clubs are noticing.

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool are just some of the clubs that have been loosely linked to Gnabry. Another free transfer would disastrous financial and for fan morale.

Clearly, this would be all be a lot easier if Gnabry was even seeking a salary of even €10 million to €12 million, but it does not seem as if that would be acceptable to the German star.

Time will tell what the club will do...but what should the club do?

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ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 38

Another work week is almost in the books and, as always, Bayern Munich provided a lot of material for us to ponder.

A whole lot.

Somehow, Thomas Müller testing positive for COVID-19 again became one of the more normal stories of the week.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Examining the report on Julian Nagelsmann’s desire to make a back-three based formation permanent.
• Jamal Musiala’s transition to the central midfield.
• The wild rumors surrounding Erling Haaland, Corentin Tolisso, and Serge Gnabry.
• Bayern Munich’s begrudging evolution to becoming a selling club.
• Marcel Sabitzer’s future is on shaky ground with Bayern Munich.
• A guest appearance from Javi Martinez for a new segment called “Dong Watch”...okay, I’m kidding (no, we will not be discussing Javi’s bulge breakdown).
• A quick take on “The Book of Boba Fett.”

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Song of the Week: “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake

Admittedly, this 80s treasure took a hiatus — for years — from my personal playlist, but when the movie Old School was released and Frank the Tank was blaring it while working on the “Red Dragon”, it reignited a flame I didn’t know I still had:

Released back in 1982 (!?), the song did not initially create a ton of buzz, but when re-released in 1987 it was MASSIVE. Here is what Wikipedia had to say:

“Here I Go Again” is a song by British rock band Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners, the power ballad was re-recorded for their 1987 self-titled album. The song was re-recorded again the same year in a new “radio-mix” version, which was released as a single and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 10 October 1987, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart on 28 November 1987. The 1987 version also hit number one on the Canadian Singles Chart on 24 October 1987.

It might be cliché, but you can’t tell the story about 80s music without this one being included in the tale. Enjoy:

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Who’s up next for Bayern Munich’s defense?

Bayern Munich is undoubtedly in a tough spot. Niklas Süle impending departure has left the club desperately seeking a replacement. For now, it appears that “internal” candidates like loanees Chris Richards (Hoffenheim) or Lars Lukas Mai (Werder Bremen) are not considered to be in the in mix. Tanguy Nianzou has also not shown that he is quite ready for a regular role either.

The cast of characters Bayern Munich has been linked to in reports all have some sort of issue.

Chelsea FC’s Andreas Christensen is being heavily pursued by FC Barcelona, but also seems a little reluctant to leave London. His teammate, Antonio Rüdiger, no longer seem to be on Bayern Munich’s radar.

Torino FC’s Gleison Bremer and SC Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck each have a big price tag attached to their respective names for players who do not have a long track record of success.

Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter — the player not many Bayern Munich fans seem to want — could be the most likely and viable option. Ginter was favored to go to Inter Milan, but recent reports out of Italy indicate Bayern Munich could be the club most likely to secure the Germany international — on a free transfer.

While that might not excite Bayern Munich fans, it could be reality. With Nagelsmann’s back-three plan said to be coming to Munich next season, Ginter could be part of a rotation that would include the French trio of Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, and Benjamin Pavard on the backline.

Is that foursome good enough to win titles in Europe?

It does not seem like many Bayern Munich fans are quite convince of that.

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ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

Bayern Munich will square off with a notorious thorn in its side: Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Bavarians seems to have at least one disappointing effort against Die Adler each season, but even with the squad’s awful injury situation, this should be a match where the team can power through its opposition.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A crazy stat on Julian Nagelsmann’s own struggles against Die Adler.
• Each team’s recent form and where they sit in the table.
• Why Eintracht Frankfurt is potentially not as much of a threat as in recent years.
• A rundown of the litany of injuries Bayern Munich is working through.
• Why we should see a back-four and how the team could line up against Eintracht Frankfurt.
• A prediction on the match.

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Predictions

Bayern Munich has been up-and-down in recent weeks, but Nagelsmann will undoubtedly be looking to stabilize things and establish some sort of momentum moving forward. It will not be easy against Eintracht Frankfurt, but Die Adler do not seem to have quite the same bite they had in previous seasons.

It will not be easy, but the Bavarians have enough talent to pull through even without the likes of Müller, Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Corentin Tolisso, and Leon Goretzka available. A brace from Robert Lewandowski will lead the way.

Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3 Bayern Munich

Other Bundesliga predictions include:

• Mainz 05 2-1 Union Berlin
• Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 Arminia Bielefeld
• FC Augsburg 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
• VfB Stuttgart 1-2 Hoffenheim
• RB Leipzig 3-1 VfL Bochum
• SC Freiburg 2-1 Hertha Berlin
• SpVgg Greuther Fürth 1-2 FC Köln
• Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Wolfsburg

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Prediction Records

I am AWFUL.

Last Bundesliga Match Day record: 5-4

Overall Bundesliga record: 109-99

DFB-Pokal record: 1-1

DFL-Supercup record: 1-0

Champions League record: 6-1

Overall record: 117-101