Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt; Bayern closing in on Marcus Thuram?; PSG, Tottenham Hotspur to battle for Inter’s Milan Skriniar; Chelsea attacker has options to leave; Isco headed to Germany (!?); & MORE!

Die Folgen: Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich racked up its third consecutive draw and is showing signs of vulnerability. Ending the match knotted at 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt left many pondering about what might be affecting the squad as it attempts to get its footing. Let’s dive in with some quick hitters on the match:

• Let’s talking about that lineup. After hearing all week that Ryan Gravenberch was due to start, he did not. Instead, Julian Nagelsmann dropped Jamal Musiala into the central midfield (in Leon Goretzka’s spot), promoted Thomas Müller, dropped Benjamin Pavard to the bench in favor of Josip Stanišić, and benched Serge Gnabry in favor of Kingsley Coman:

• The inclusion of Müller showed that Nagelsmann might be (slowly) coming to the realization that he has to find a way for the Raumdeuter and Musiala to play on the field together. Will it eventually come at the expense of Goretzka?
• Coman has been better than Gnabry, so that was not a surprise — especially considering that hullabaloo that was generated by the Germany international’s decision to take a jaunt to Paris for Fashion Week on his off day during a condensed week. Despite recently signing an extension, it would not shock me if Gnabry starts to entertain offers for a transfer this summer. The club seems more invested in Coman, Leroy Sané, and Sadio Mané at this point.
• As for Pavard, his open talks about being okay with a transfer this summer always was going to have some fallout. Bayern Munich needs to know exactly what it has in both Stanišić and Noussair Mazraoui moving forward.
• I’ve said it before and I’ll reiterate it: I’m getting a little concerned about the lack of development in the game of Alphonso Davies. The mistakes he makes are the same ones he made back on 2019/20. This is not to say that he can’t or won’t get better (certainly injuries have hampered him), but he seems to have reached a plateau.
• Bayern Munich’s goal was the product of some nice work from Stanišić and Müller, who set up Sané and got the assist. Sané did well to drift into space and place a perfect shot into the net. Other than his goal, though, Sané was a little quiet.
• Aside of that, however, Bayern Munich’s attack was once again choppy and imprecise.
• Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting does not require the full attention of the opposition’s backline. He is a nice back-up, but this will not work moving forward. The fact that Bayern Munich is considering signing him to be the starter next season is a huge red flag.
• Jamal Musiala was okay, but still does not look fully like his old ever-dangerous self. We should not underestimate how the mental fatigue from his finishing troubles at the World Cup might be affecting him. The kid is a supreme talent, but needs support.
• Joshua Kimmich was on the ball a lot, but did lose possession 16 times. Perhaps some rest would do him well (broken record).
• The new pitch that was installed after the NFL game appears to be a little slick as several players lost their footing over the course of the match.
• I’m not as enamored with Ryan Gravenberch as some others at this stage. He’s a nice player, but I’m not sure there should be a pressing need to start him. I think he definitely has some room for growth in his game before he will be ready to be a consistent starter.
• Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani knotted the game on a pretty terrific effort from him that was less about Bayern Munich’s shortcomings on the play and more about Kolo Muani’s drive to get his team earn a point. Daichi Kamada’s pass was sensational on the play and it was a tough spot for Dayot Upamecano, who just couldn’t contain Kolo Muani.
• Berni’s hapless reaction after the goal was priceless.
• Overall, there might not be much more to say other than that the team is not performing like it should. Something is missing with the players on the pitch and the coaching staff is struggling to come up with answers. This draw is not the end of the world, but Bayern Munich needs to be better. A whole lot better.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast give them a look and/or a listen:

Bayern closing in on Thuram? (Sempre Inter)

Is Bayern Munich closing in on Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram? One report indicates as much:

Bayern Munich are close to getting a deal done to sign Inter-linked Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram on a free transfer next summer. This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who report that the Frenchman is still on the Nerazzurri’s list of targets, but that it is looking increasingly likely they will miss out to the German champions.

Inter’s strategy in the summer could be to try to strengthen their attack with high-quality free transfer signings including Thuram and Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino.

However, Thuram is inching closer to Bayern according to the Gazzetta, and so the Nerazzurri will likely miss out on the 25-year-old’s signing.

Reports earlier this weekend indicated that Bayern Munich was completely out on Thuram — and I tend to believe those a little more.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 29 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is scuffling...BFW’s podcast got whacked like Joe Pesci walking into that room in Goodfellas...and there is a ton of news going on.

Plus, Bayern Munich has yet another game jammed in — this time against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Yeah, there is A LOT going on, but we are covering it all here! Preview? Yes. Riffing on the news? No doubt. Some entertainment talk? For sure. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A preview for Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt.
• There seems to be a changing of opinion on Leon Goretzka — and is Ryan Gravenberch going to take over Goretzka’s starting role?
• FC Barcelona tried to hijack Bayern Munich’s deal for Konrad Laimer and the word that Marcel Sabitzer might want to stay.
• Chelsea FC’s Kai Havertz and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane are probably off the table for Bayern Munich.
• Bayern Munich’s plan for the attack and why it is a mess.
• Some thoughts on the latest episode of The Last of Us — and some news on the future of Cobra Kai.

PSG target Skriniar headed to Spurs (@RudyGaletti)

Rumored Paris Saint-Germain target Milan Skriniar is drawing interest from Tottenham Hostpur:

PSG, though, seems to be ready to try and get a deal done:

The Inter Milan defender is in a now or never situation in terms of being sold. He could move on as a free agent this summer.

Ziyech will have options (Telegraph via 90Min.com)

Chelsea FC attacker Hakim Ziyech has some options:

Newcastle are unwilling to pay the £60m price tag Everton have put on Gordon and could continue to look at Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech.

Sky Sports and The Sun also had their own reports on Ziyech, who will likely find himself buried on Chelsea’s roster soon enough:

Everton could themselves also look at Ziyech if Gordon does leave. However, Chelsea would prefer Ziyech to go to Roma rather than another Premier League club.

Ziyech was linked to Bayern Munich before his move to Chelsea.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Flagship Show — Season 5, Episode 30 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich kicked off its Bundesliga re-start with a not-so-promising, but also not-so-concerning draw with RB Leipzig, which left a ton to talk about.

When you look at that, the quick turnaround for a match against FC Köln, the crazy news that this podcast has been wacked by SBN/Vox, the Yann Sommer acquisition, more rumors on Harry Kane and Kai Havertz, there is a TON to talk about.

So join me for this podcast journey, we are going to hit on a number of topics — because, damn it, that is exactly what we do here:

• A quick look at the draw with RB Leipzig.
• A preview of the FC Köln match.
• Looking at the latest rumors on Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Chelsea FC’s Kai Havertz.
• The future of Bavarian Football Works and Bavarian Podcast Works.

Henrichs on his way out of Leipzig? (@Plettigoal)

It appears that Benjamin Henrichs might not be a fit with RB Leipzig, so Juventus (LOL) and AS Roma are interested:

Isco to Union? (@Plettigoal)

How crazy would this be: Former Real Madrid great Isco is being pursued by Union Berlin:

Rice to spurn Madrid in favor of Gunners (El Nacional via 90Min.com)

West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice appears to be getting closer to an eventual transfer to Arsenal FC:

While Caicedo is on their radar, the midfielder at the top of Arsenal’s wish list is Declan Rice, who could spurn interest from Real Madrid in order to join the Gunners.