Update: 8:08PM EST — Starke not the only candidate
According to Abendzeitung and Sportbuzzer (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Tom Starke might not be a shoo-in to replace Toni Tapalovic. Bayern Munich also has Jaroslav Drobny is also in the mix:
Bayern's top 2 candidates to succeed Toni Tapalović permanently are Jaroslav Drobný & Tom Starke, both already under contract at the club. The decision is expected to be made between them, which would be a quick, easy & financially manageable solution [@AZ_Strasser, @Sportbuzzer] pic.twitter.com/j3YbLYKwoF
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) January 24, 2023
According to Sky Sport journalist Torben Hoffmann (not to be confused with former goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hoffmann), Tom Starke will take over as Bayern Munich’s goalkeeping coach.
Starke, who once served as a backup to Manuel Neuer, will now be one of the coaches tasked with helping guide the veteran through his return to the field once he heals from his broken leg.
Starke will also have a ton of other talent to work with, including Yann Sommer, Sven Ulreich, Johannes Schenk, and current AS Monaco loanee Alexander Nübel:
Tom #Starke übernimmt das Warmmachen der Torhüter am heutigen Abend gegen Köln. @SkySportNews @SkySportDE
— Torben Hoffmann (@Sky_Torben) January 24, 2023
Tom #Starke will warm up the goalkeepers tonight against Cologne. @SkySportNews @SkySportDE
According to Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), however, the move is just a short-term fix:
Tom Starke will take over as Bayern’s goalkeeping coach until further notice. It’s unlikely that he will take the job permanently. Following his retirement, Starke is not planning to return to the stressful life of the Bundesliga with a lot of trips and hotel stays.
Starke is moving up to the first team at an odd time of the team’s history. Neuer, who has been the unquestioned starter, now finds his career at the crossroads after a disastrous leg injury.
Sommer, perhaps a top five or top ten goalkeeper in the world, was brought in for the rest of this season and is expected to stay and challenge Neuer for his starting role. All the while, Nübel will be returning from his loan after being a starter in France and surely expects to be the No. 1.
Starke, however, could bow out from dealing with all of that by stepping down once he guides the smaller — and surely less contentious — group through the rest of this season.
As for what happened to former goalkeeper coach Toni Tapalovic, you can get that news here and here.
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