Daily Schmankerl: Is this the end for Thomas Müller at Bayern Munich?; Chelsea defenders on Bayern’s radar; Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus eyeing BVB youngster?; Tottenham Hotspur to pursue Mathys Tel?; & MORE!

Müller might not rise from the ashes this time (Bavarian Football Works)

For members of the #MüllerMafia, this might be a tough time.

Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller appears to be the odd man out for manager Thomas Tuchel. With Jamal Musiala healthy and Tuchel currently unwilling to play the M&M Boys together, minutes could be few and far between for the veteran attacker.

Tuchel, however, does not think it will be a big deal because of how much of a professional Müller is.

“He is very positive. Thomas is never a quiet player, he takes care of things, how a game is going, how a training session is going. Because of his experience and his nature, he has a certain easiness. He played a lot of games, maybe not all of them,” said Tuchel (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “His inimitable characteristic comes into play in the opponent’s penalty area. He’s positive and takes it the way you could hope for.”

Every time that a manager has tried to bury Müller, he has re-enacted The Undertaker meme:

Now, though, it feels a little bit different. A little older and competing with Jamal Musiala, a younger, faster, more dynamic player, whom the club absolutely needs to keep happy, Müller — for the first time — really does appear to be the odd-man out for the long-term.

“It’s not just Thomas Müller who is out, there are a few others out who deserve to play,” said Tuchel to DAZN before his team downed Manchester United 4-3 (as captured by Tz).

As Tz noted, “The change from Müller to Musiala was the only change.”

Tuchel later went further with his commentary on Müller.

“I expect a little deeper possession, possession in the middle third. Jamal is a key player for us,” Tuchel said. “Even in combination, it’s not quite the same position as Thomas. Jamal’s best position is half-left, I think Thomas is best half-right. But the combination with Serge (Gnabry), Phonzie (Alphonso Davies) and Jamal is simply a very, very strong left side. And he’s fit, that’s why he’s playing.”

For his part, Müller is taking it all in stride...for now.

“We have good players in the squad. Mathys (Tel) has scored again and the energy is coming in. It is important that the whole team works. Overall, I have a good feeling, I belong there too,” said Müller said after the Manchester United game. “At the front we have six or eight top players for the four positions. The squad is not thin at the front, but rather deep.”

We saw how this eventually played out for Carlo Ancelotti and Niko Kovac. If the team starts to skid (a big if, given the overall level of talent), will Müller’s tune change?

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 11 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is fresh off of a nervy 4-3 win over Manchester United in the Champions League and will have to quickly re-focus itself to do battle with VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga.

With the English week making things a complete jumble for the podcast schedule, Bavarian Podcast Works has, once again, pushed the Preview Show into the Weekend Warm-up, so listeners are not overloaded with our content.

Given all of that, this is what we have on tape for this episode:

• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga, including some thoughts on how the lineup might change and what the score might be.
• Examining why Thomas Tuchel’s lack of a rotation is a bad idea for the long-term prospects for this season.
• Harry Kane is a nicer, less bitter version of Robert Lewandowski
• We are seeing the best of Leroy Sané, aren’t we?

Bayern eyeing James? (Fichajes via 90Min.com)

Bayern Munich might be keeping an eye on Chelsea FC right-back Reece James for a possible transfer next summer:

Bayern Munich are prepared to compete with Real Madrid for the signing of Chelsea right-back Reece James next summer.

Eh...not feeling this move, but Thomas Tuchel have a level of familiarity of James, so that could play a role in a potential pursuit.

Or...maybe Bayern will get Chalobah in January (Express)

What is it with Bayern Munich and Chelsea right-backs? Trevoh Chalobah might beat Reece James to the punch with a move to Bayern Munich in January:

Trevoh Chalobah is reportedly expected to leave Chelsea this season, having come close to departing the club during the summer transfer window. The Blues conducted a major reshuffle and are keen to continue offloading their fringe stars when January arrived.

Bayern Munich registered an interest in Chalobah during the summer window and the player is said to have been keen to make the move to the Allianz Arena and reunite with Thomas Tuchel, but a deal never materialized. Nottingham Forest also arrived with a bid for the defender, but the player rejected the approach.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: Bayern Munich 4-3 Manchester United (Bavarian Football Works)

For anyone wondering how Bayern Munich would function without Thomas Tuchel in its Champions League opener against Manchester United, it did not take all that long to see that the visitors were going to be in for a long night.

After a somewhat choppy start, Bayern Munich established itself with two first half goals, which left the Red Devils punch drunk — at least for a little while.

Let’s take a look what is on tap for this episode as Bayern Munich eventually outlasted Manchester United for a 4-3 win:

• A look at the starting XI and why it really should not have been all that surprising to see the names listed.
• A rundown of the scoring.
• Examining Bayern Munich’s ability to put together the aforementioned first half flurry, even though the midfield and defense were not great.
• What fans can take out of this match and what we are learning every game from this Bayern Munich squad.

Spurs eyeing move for Tel? (The Boy Hotspur)

As Owen Hargreaves was doing some punditry for TNT Sports, he heaped some praise on Mathys Tel:

Hargreaves, speaking on TNT Sports after the game, hailed Tel as a special player, highlighting that it was his third goal of the season at just 18 years old.

He also mentioned that Bayern had invested significantly in the young talent, and while he didn’t play much last season, Tel has emerged as a key contributor this season.

He said:“He’s another special player, Fletch. That’s his third goal this season, 18 years old. I know they paid a lot of money for him, but he didn’t play a lot last season. What a take and what a finish.”

Tel is clearly getting noticed and, as pointed out by The Boy Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur could be looking at from Tel from afar with the intention to eventually try and convince the youngster to make the jump to England:

Spurs were reportedly interested in signing the Bayern Munich man during the summer but reports stated that Tuchel wanted to keep hold of him. Bayern snapped up Tel for a fee worth £25 million last summer as the youngster made the switch from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.

So far this season, he has scored 2 goals and assisted 1 in 4 games in the Bundesliga, and one in the Champions League. Whether a move to Spurs in the future materialises remains to be seen. But for now, he seems to be very much in Tuchel’s plans.

BVB could get a lot of action on Moukoko (Defensa Central via 90Min.com)

According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Borussia Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko could get significant interest on the transfer market from FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, Juventus, and Real Madrid:

Borussia Dortmund are looking for buyers for 18-year-old striker Youssoufa Moukoko. Contact has been made with Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Real Madrid with a view to a €35m (£30m) sale.

Fichajes also backed up Chelsea’s interest in the German striker:

Of those suitors, Chelsea are readying a bid worth £26m to sign Moukoko in January.