Daily Schmankerl: Is Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel coming around on Leon Goretzka?; PSG plotting revenge plan on Real Madrid?; Manchester United eyeing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Jadon Sancho’s situation at United spirals downward; & MORE!

Tuchel coming around on Goretzka (@iMiaSanMia)

Midfielder Leon Goretzka has been rumored to not be the favorite player of Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel.

Things, however, might be changing.

Tuchel had some very complimentary things to say about Goretzka.

“Leon Goretzka has settled into the season well. He’s very positive, he’ll most likely start again for us (on Friday),” Tuchel said as his pregame press conference.

Goretzka has been excellent so far for Bayern Munich and likely also is being spurred by the motivation of not being selected for the German national team for its games against Japan and France.

The 28-year-old could be a key figure for Bayern Munich if he can stay healthy — and stay consistently at the top of his game. Rumors are abound that the Bavarians are seeking to bring in a No. 6 in January, but will the club need to?

Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, and Konrad Laimer will undoubtedly be eager to show Tuchel that the squad has exactly what it needs in the central midfield moving forward.

Draxler moves to Qatar (@Plettigoal)

Julian Draxler’s star-crossed career has taken another turn, as he heads to Qatar:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 10 (Bavarian Football Works)

After an extremely crazy week with the German national team and also Bayern Munich getting back to action in a Friday match vs. Bayer Leverkusen, get ready for a Weekend Warm-up/Preview Show combo — it’s a two-for-one deal!

On this episode, we will discuss the following hot topics:

• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen — an absolutely key match for the Bavarians in the Bundesliga — Jamal Musiala and Raphaël Guerreiro should be available, but what about Joshua Kimmich?
• The unsettled situations of Matthijs de Ligt and Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich — and what it might mean for their futures with the club.
• A look at Hansi Flick’s tenure as coach of Germany and where it all went wrong, plus, is Julian Nagelsmann the next man up?
• A review of All or Nothing — The German national team in Qatar and why that probably foretold Flick getting sacked.

Thiago to Turkey? (Anfield Watch)

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcántara might be leaving Liverpool FC for Trabzonspor:

Thiago Alcántara could leave Liverpool this week, according to one report in Turkey. While most transfer deadlines across Europe (and Saudi Arabia) have now passed, the Turkish window remains open until Friday, 15 September.

Aksam claims that Trabzonspor are eyeing a late deal for Liverpool’s Thiago, following the arrival of Nicolas Pepe from Arsenal. It is said that the 2021/22 Super Lig winners are still keen to add reinforcements right up until deadline day and that the club hierarchy have ‘pressed the button’ for a Thiago move.

The report claims that Thiago, who is into the final year of his four-year contract at Liverpool, is keen to go to a club where he can secure regular game time, but has limited options following the close of the European and Saudi transfer windows.

Aksam claim that Thiago will be offered a salary package and signing bonus comparable to Pepe, though it is not specified how much that would be. However, Turkish-Football.com reported earlier in the week that Trabzonspor will pay Pepe €1.75m (£1.5m) for the 2023/24 season, while he will earn a €1.6m (£1.4m) signing-on fee.

The finances are just one reason to be skeptical of this report. The figures cited, if accurate, would constitute a massive pay decrease for Thiago, who is reported to be one of Liverpool’s top earners on around £10m a year.

PSG’s revenge plan on Madrid (Sport via 90Min.com)

Paris Saint-Germain is sick of Real Madrid being linked to Kylian Mbappé and is — allegedly — set to unleash a plan to steal away several of Madrid’s young talents:

Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to ‘exact revenge’ on Real Madrid for their pursuit of Kylian Mbappé and are looking to sign as many as five stars from the Spanish side: Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.

LET THEM FIGHT!

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 6, Episode 9 (Bavarian Football Works)

Yes, we may be a Bayern Munich podcast, but a debacle of this magnitude deserves some special consideration. Germany were just crushed 4-1 by Japan, and Hansi Flick is a dead man walking. There is no way he can continue after a result like this, but is it all his fault? This generation of German talent has failed to demonstrate anything resembling the quality, poise, and ruthlessness of previous national team setups. So who do you blame, the coach or the players?

In this episode, INNN and Cyler discuss the following:

• Hansi Flick needs to go now — there is no way he can survive.
• The mentality problem at Germany, and how they seem checked out.
• How everything went wrong tactically for Hansi Flick versus Japan.
• Why have all the experiments gone wrong? Where did Flick fall short?
• How would a new coach — Julian Nagelsmann, Oliver Glasner, Thomas Tuchel, etc. — fix this team, if it can be fixed?
• How much blame should go to the players versus the coach?
• Where are the top quality players in this German NT setup? Where are the players who would cut it at Bayern Munich — especially in defense?
• The Borussia Dortmund connection — Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can, Julian Brandt, etc. — and how it drags the team down.
• Is İlkay Gündoğan the right man for Germany?
• Comparing this team composition to the 2014 team and how it comes up short.
• What’s wrong with the youth setup at Germany and should there be a complete overhaul?
• Final word — who’s at fault, the players or the coach? And should Flick go?

United contemplating strong play for Kvaratskhelia (CaughtOffside)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one of the hottest names in the transfer market and will continue to be.

Nearly every major power is interested in the Napoli star and the 22-year-old might get an offer from Manchester United — possibly with a loan (which seems...doubtful):

Manchester United are reportedly among the clubs who admire Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, though a deal surely won’t come cheap.

This is according to Mike Keegan in a Q&A on the Daily Mail site, with the reporter suggesting a loan move might be more realistic for Man Utd, though other Premier League sides also like the talented Georgia international, who lit up Serie A last season.

Kvaratskhelia surely has what it takes to play for Europe’s elite, with the 22-year-old looking like the kind of star name Napoli might struggle to keep hold of, along with prolific Nigerian front-man Victor Osimhen.

The competition for Kvaratskhelia counts with Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC, Newcastle United, Chelsea FC, Manchester City, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain among the many clubs interested in the Georgian.

At one point, Bayern Munich was keeping an eye on Kvaratskhelia — before he became the mega-star that he is now.

Sancho not training with United first team (@brfootball)

Jadon Sancho was somehow recently linked to both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, but his status at Manchester United is really...not great. Sancho has been banished from first team training because of a “discipline issue”: