Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s scoring form for Bayern Munich has been a revelation, especially as injuries to Sadio Mane, Leroy Sane, and Thomas Muller have forced Julian Nagelsmann to shift around his lineups. As it stands, Choupo-Moting has tallied 11 goals and three assists in 16 appearances across all competitions: he scored in every match from Bayern’s 5-0 win over SC Freiburg on October 16 to their 2-0 win over Schalke, with the exception, oddly enough, of Bayern’s 6-1 crushing of Werder Bremen.
It’s safe to say that not many people expected such a return in goals from Choupo-Moting this season, even though he served as a decent backup to Robert Lewandowski before his departure to Barcelona over the summer. Of course, Lewandowski’s injury history—or rather lack thereof—also meant that Choupo saw much less playing time. This season, however, the Cameroon international has proven that he’s worth his weight in gold and can play an important role for the club as it continues to push forward on all three fronts.
In a press conference from Bayern’s training camp in Doha, Nagelsmann spoke about his admiration for Choupo-Moting, who he feels will play a pivotal role in the second part of the season. “He presented himself well. Since he has been playing regularly, he’s been in better shape physically. He’s well accepted in the group, he’s a great guy. If he keeps up his diligence, he will also play a major role in the second half of the season,” Nagelsmann said of the striker (@iMiaSanMia).
For now, Choupo-Moting’s future at Bayern is up in the air. His current contract is set to expire this summer, but his representatives have made it clear he would only accept an extension with a significant pay raise attached. Other clubs are interested in him, so the onus will be on Bayern to offer an acceptable package if he continues to perform well, score goals, and make an impact.
Bayern’s stance currently is that they do want to wait and see how the rest of the season plays out for him. Continued strong performances could certainly have them leaning towards offering an extension of at least one year, as they have an internal policy of not extending players over 30 years of age by more than a single year.
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