<b>Leroy Sané signs for FC Bayern – all is well that ends well?</b>
As German sports outlet <em>Sport Bild</em> <a href="https://sportbild.bild.de/bundesliga/vereine/bayern-muenchen/fc-bayern-leroy-sane-transfer-wechsel-perfekt-manchester-city-71610794.sport.html">were first to report on June 30</a>, Leroy Sané has joined FC Bayern for a supposed fee of slightly below €50m, down €70m from City’s alleged asking price of €120m before his ACL injury last summer.When I wrote a first draft of this article in late summer of last year, it was a virtual certainty to me that Leroy Sané’s transfer to FC Bayern was imminent. It was only a matter of time and I wanted to be prepared. Then his injury came and the transfer fell through at the last minute. Since then, a lot has happened. It all began with the injury, which did not only thwart his move but surely a good deal of pre-produced articles as well, then Bayern sacked their coach, and then – coronavirus struck. We live in a different world now, parameters have changed, priorities have shifted. Football clubs everywhere are fighting for financial survival, nine-figure transfers like Sané’s would probably have become last summer seem a distant memory.<a href="#leroy-sane-joins-amidst-a-changing-environment"></a>Leroy Sané joins amidst a changing environmentYet despite all these developments, the Sané transfer to Bayern was never really off. It is moot now to recount all the shenanagans, the rumors, the speculation that went on in the run up to his move last summer before his injury brought everything to an abrupt hold. Suffice it to say that in all likelihood Leroy Sané would have already become a Bayern player 10 months ago for a lot more money than the club is paying now.In an odd way, Sané’s injury and coronavirus might have been a blessing in disguise for the whole transfer project. Bayern are now effectively saving €70m in cash on signing a player whose intention to leave City and join Bayern seems not to have wavered in the past 10 months.Financially, Bayern seem to have made a tremendous deal. They are one the few clubs in Germany who appear to come through the coronavirus crisis rather unscathed. For them, a transfer fee just shy of €50m for a player of Sané’s quality is a steal, and they will find his alleged annual salary somewhere in the €20m range a lot but acceptable given his talents.€70m less in transfer fees, 10 additional months to cure his injury, and perhaps a slightly lower salary than he might have commanded in a non-coronavirus market, so all is well that ends well with Leroy Sané joining Bayern – or is it?<a href="#a-transfer-that-ticks-all-the-boxes"></a>A transfer that ticks all the boxes?The timelines and the financials might have changed, but Leroy Sané the player and Leroy Sané the personality are still the same as they were 10 months ago. The same questions and issues relating to his Bayern move that were true back then are still true now.What does his arrival herald for Bayern? How many of the great expectations tied to his name are really warranted? Will he be, can he be the final puzzle piece that will bring Bayern the one decisive step closer to their long overdue Champions League title?Yes, Leroy Sané indisputably is a brilliant footballer. He is a player who would improve almost any team, no matter his teammates, the coach, the tactics or the system. In pure footballing terms, it is hard to imagine a squad where his pace, his technical abilities, his skills in taking on opponents one-on-one, his finishing ability, and his youthful courage and imperturbability would not make him a valuable addition – including Bayern’s.But there are some reasons to be cautious, too. Above all, there is the question of his character. Jogi Löw did not select him for Germany’s 2018 World Cup squad in Russia, a decision which caught many experts and pundits by surprise at the time. Löw certainly did not leave Sané out because of doubts about his qualities as a footballer. But…
As German sports outlet <em>Sport Bild</em> <a href="https://sportbild.bild.de/bundesliga/vereine/bayern-muenchen/fc-bayern-leroy-sane-transfer-wechsel-perfekt-manchester-city-71610794.sport.html">were first to report on June 30</a>, Leroy Sané has joined FC Bayern for a supposed fee of slightly below €50m, down €70m from City’s alleged asking price of €120m before his ACL injury last summer.When I wrote a first draft of this article in late summer of last year, it was a virtual certainty to me that Leroy Sané’s transfer to FC Bayern was imminent. It was only a matter of time and I wanted to be prepared. Then his injury came and the transfer fell through at the last minute. Since then, a lot has happened. It all began with the injury, which did not only thwart his move but surely a good deal of pre-produced articles as well, then Bayern sacked their coach, and then – coronavirus struck. We live in a different world now, parameters have changed, priorities have shifted. Football clubs everywhere are fighting for financial survival, nine-figure transfers like Sané’s would probably have become last summer seem a distant memory.<a href="#leroy-sane-joins-amidst-a-changing-environment"></a>Leroy Sané joins amidst a changing environmentYet despite all these developments, the Sané transfer to Bayern was never really off. It is moot now to recount all the shenanagans, the rumors, the speculation that went on in the run up to his move last summer before his injury brought everything to an abrupt hold. Suffice it to say that in all likelihood Leroy Sané would have already become a Bayern player 10 months ago for a lot more money than the club is paying now.In an odd way, Sané’s injury and coronavirus might have been a blessing in disguise for the whole transfer project. Bayern are now effectively saving €70m in cash on signing a player whose intention to leave City and join Bayern seems not to have wavered in the past 10 months.Financially, Bayern seem to have made a tremendous deal. They are one the few clubs in Germany who appear to come through the coronavirus crisis rather unscathed. For them, a transfer fee just shy of €50m for a player of Sané’s quality is a steal, and they will find his alleged annual salary somewhere in the €20m range a lot but acceptable given his talents.€70m less in transfer fees, 10 additional months to cure his injury, and perhaps a slightly lower salary than he might have commanded in a non-coronavirus market, so all is well that ends well with Leroy Sané joining Bayern – or is it?<a href="#a-transfer-that-ticks-all-the-boxes"></a>A transfer that ticks all the boxes?The timelines and the financials might have changed, but Leroy Sané the player and Leroy Sané the personality are still the same as they were 10 months ago. The same questions and issues relating to his Bayern move that were true back then are still true now.What does his arrival herald for Bayern? How many of the great expectations tied to his name are really warranted? Will he be, can he be the final puzzle piece that will bring Bayern the one decisive step closer to their long overdue Champions League title?Yes, Leroy Sané indisputably is a brilliant footballer. He is a player who would improve almost any team, no matter his teammates, the coach, the tactics or the system. In pure footballing terms, it is hard to imagine a squad where his pace, his technical abilities, his skills in taking on opponents one-on-one, his finishing ability, and his youthful courage and imperturbability would not make him a valuable addition – including Bayern’s.But there are some reasons to be cautious, too. Above all, there is the question of his character. Jogi Löw did not select him for Germany’s 2018 World Cup squad in Russia, a decision which caught many experts and pundits by surprise at the time. Löw certainly did not leave Sané out because of doubts about his qualities as a footballer. But…
sportbild.de
Sané-Wechsel zu Bayern perfekt!
Die Bundesliga darf sich auf einen neuen Superstar freuen! Der Wechsel von Leroy Sané (24) von Manchester City zu Bayern ist fix!