Weekend Warm-up: Is bringing João Palhinha to Bayern Munich worth it?; Leroy Sané thinks Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig are Bayern’s biggest competitors; Throwing it back to “Take a Walk” by Passion Pit; & MORE!

Bayern Munich is expected to acquire Fulham FC defensive midfielder João Palhinha after failing to land the player during the summer transfer window.

Nearly everyone is expecting the move to happen, even if Manchester United is also expected to make a play for the Portuguese star. Fabrizio Romano (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) offered the latest update:

Bayern will sign a defensive midfielder in January and want to return for João Palhinha. The club was very happy with the player’s attitude and new attempts will take place in the coming months. Thomas Tuchel and the people in charge have approved Palhinha as a top target.

Is this the best move for a Bayern Munich squad teetering on the end of discourse?

Photo by ANP via Getty Images

Let’s face it, Tuchel, who is driving this move, is not a beloved figure at Bayern Munich. Regardless of what you believe, stories leaked this week indicated that he is currently embroiled in a feud with Joshua Kimmich and butted heads with members of the transfers committee over the summer. Based on previous reports, it can be inferred that Tuchel was most at odds with club legends Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

The coach’s insistence on getting a new midfielder to play a role currently occupied by Kimmich will undoubtedly ruffle some feathers. Kimmich has already indicated that he wants to remain as the team’s No. 6 and adding Palhinha would seemingly displace him from that role.

The trickle down effect from there is a bit widespread. Leon Goretzka would go from a starting No. 8 to the bench and summer transfer Konrad Laimer would be buried even further down the depth chart.

Is all of that movement...worth it? Will Palhinha be that much of a game changer that alienating some of the club’s most key figures should be an accepted fallout from the move?

That is very debatable.

Tuchel has no attachment to Laimer, as he was not even onboard when that move was sanctioned and the coach clearly has not been a fan of Goretzka given how he has treated and spoke about the 28-year-old.

Kimmich, however, is not exactly a figure that most people at the club would trifle with. The Germany international has long been heralded as the team’s future captain and has been an irreplaceable part of Bayern Munich’s machine since the 2015/16 campaign, but might have a wandering eye.

Links to Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester City, and Liverpool FC emerged out of nowhere this summer and it seemed like no coincidence on the timing. As rumors surfaced that Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel wanted a No. 6, whispers about Kimmich potentially wanting a change also came out of the darkness.

Again, it is very doubtful that the two events were not linked in some way.

Tuchel’s track record so far as coach is not mindblowing. This season, he has the team undefeated in the league, but did oversee an embarrassing DFL-Supercup effort. Last season, Tuchel seemingly had no feel on how to extract the best out of his team and nearly choked away the Bundesliga title.

For a coach that — quite frankly — has not done much at the club yet, he is being given a loud voice. That type of volume did not exist with Niko Kovac or Hansi Flick. Julian Nagelsmann was the coach whose voice started to carry more weight with personnel decisions, but his constant experimentation caused the patience of his superiors to wither.

Enter Tuchel...and enter a situation where the club’s coach and its longtime star are barreling toward each other for a major collision.

On paper, an acquisition of Palhinha makes sense as it would give Bayern Munich a fourth midfielder to help handle to the rigors of English weeks. However, displacing Kimmich could have the undesired effects of unrest, locker room tension, and perhaps, the precursor to an exodus of several players.

The situation might be helped if Tuchel was universally loved, but...he is not, at least not yet.

While seemingly everyone wants a No. 6, adding talent to a potentially volatile situation guarantees nothing...and in this case, could have the reverse effect on what Bayern Munich is really trying to accomplish — winning multiple trophies this season.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 3, Episode 9

Bayern Munich might be on international break, but there is still an absolute mountain of news going on with the club.

And it is not just the Bavarians, either. The German national team is set to take on France and Japan in what could be two important games in determining what future — if any — Hansi Flick has as manager:

• Analyzing where Bayern Munich is at the break.
• The case for — and against — João Palhinha making the move from Fulham FC to Bayern Munich. Also, how adding a defender is also still on the menu for the January transfer window as well.
• Addressing those bizarre rumors linking Bayern Munich to disgruntled Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho.
• What to hope for with Germany during this international break.
• Jamal Musiala’s injury — should Bayern Munich fans be concerned?

Sané sees room for improvement at Bayern

One of the stars of Bayern Munich’s strong start in the Bundesliga has been Leroy Sané.

The Germany international has three goals in four games across all competitions so far this season and has been one of the team’s most dangerous weapons. Even with three wins in three games in the league, the 27-year-old sees a lot of room for improvement — which will be needed for upcoming matches against Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig.

“We had a good start, but there are phases where there’s room for improvement - we’re aware of that. For me RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen are our toughest competitors this season. Leverkusen had a remarkable summer and a good start to the season. They signed very good players that will help the team. RB Leipzig have also been convincing,” said Sané.

While still a prohibitive favorite to win the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig both do look legitimate this season. Sané will surely play a role in how Bayern Munich performs in those matches and if his recent showings are any indication of how his season will go, the winger could be a lot of trouble for the rest of the Bundesliga.

Song of the Week: “Take a Walk” by Passion Pit

Released in 2012 “Tale a Walk” by Passion Pit hit the local airwaves here on 88.5 WXPN and it just had a sound that caught me right away.

While described as “Indietronica”, I still say it is alternative rock (my brain can’t keep drilling down into the genre). Whatever you want to call it, it is a great tune, so enjoy (also the cover image of the video represents how I feel this morning):

Prediction Records

Disastrous week...outright disastrous.

• Bundesliga Last Week: 2-7
• Bundesliga Total: 17-10
• DFB-Pokal Total: N/A
• Champions League Total: N/A
• DFL-Supercup: 0-1
• Total: 17-11