Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. St. Pauli; Manchester City eyeing Hugo Larsson; RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Seško ready for next step?; Liverpool, Bayern still want Rayan Cherki; and MORE!

Bayern Munich got the three points that it needed…

Die Folgen: Bayern’s 3-2 win over St. Pauli (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich was not at its most sharp against St. Pauli, but still outlasted the visitors for a 3-2 victory — as it should have.

There were some shaky moments, but the first game after an international break can be tough, especially when factoring in the slew of injuries that the team suffered during that time. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:

• The lineup did not offer many major surprises. Raphaël Guerreiro over Hiroki Itō and Konrad Laimer over Josip Stanišić raised eyebrows a bit, but Kompany has shown a preference for those players thus far. Otherwise, Leroy Sané over Serge Gnabry at left wing has become the norm. Kingsley Coman missed the game with an “irritation” in his foot.
• Just over a minute into the game, Leon Goretzka almost put Bayern Munich up 1-0 with a head, but it was pushed away.
• Jonas Urbig got tested with a wonky floater in the 8th minute but pushed it away.
• Bayern Munich looks like a team coming off an international break, where many of its key players were taxed. Things were out of sync and choppy early on.
• Using Guerreiro at left-back is a risk. His instincts defensively have betrayed him this season and he lacks the burst to make up for bad movement or positioning. Resting Itō after the break was not the worst idea, but the days of Guerreiro of being a viable option at left-back are over.
• Bayern Munich was bailed out by the crossbar in the 14th minute after a ball deflected either off Kimmich or a St. Pauli player and went toward the goal. Luckily the trajectory carried it into the crossbar.
• In the 17th minute, a bad touch from a St. Pauli player under pressure from Jamal Musiala led to the youngster winning the ball and passing to Michael Olise, who slid a nice pass to Kane for a 1-0 lead.
• A little later, Guerreiro could have made it 2-0, but his shot was rifled directly at St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who turned it away.
• In the 27th minute, Bayern Munich suffered a breakdown in communication on the backline. Kim Min-jae sunk too deep unnecessarily to play Elias Saad onside. The attacker then snuck by Eric Dier, who was holding higher to play Saad off. These are the kinds of breakdowns that happen when players do not have a ton of experience playing together.
• In the 35th minute what looked to be a surefire goal for Leroy Sané was headed away by a St. Pauli defender.
• Bayern Munich went into halftime knotted at 1-1, but it felt like a lost opportunity for the Bavarians.
• João Palhinha came on for Goretzka at halftime. It was not exactly a banner effort for Goretzka, but he was not awful either, so that was curious. We would later find out that Goretzka was experiencing back pain.
• In the 53rd minute, Bayern Munich finally took the lead again when a long ball from Urbig was head by Kane to Olise, who sent in Sané, who patiently set up and whipped a shot by Vasilj. It was a much needed goal for the winger (and for the team as well).
• The pass from Olise was near-perfect.
• Sensing the need that the backline needed to be tightened up, Kompany brought in Itō for Guerreiro just five minutes later.
• Bayern Munich took a 3-1 lead on a another goal from Sané, who made a run into space and was set up nicely from Kane. Olise’s outlet pass to Kane was (again) near-perfect and sent the Englishman and Sané into a 2-on-1.
• Itō grabbed at his thigh late in the match, which is about the last thing anyone wants to see. As it turns out, it was actually Itō’s foot (yes the same one) which gave him grief. Not good. When the defender grabbed his thigh, it must have just been a reaction to the pain.
• In added extra time, David Nemeth fired a shot through the legs of Dier from distance, which shocked Urbig. The goalkeeper was late reacting to it (though, it might not have mattered anyway because the placement was that good).
• Overall, it was a very up-and-down game from Bayern Munich. Dominant with possession, there seemed to be a lack of energy at times and maybe too much of a lax approach (especially in the final third). St. Pauli could really only compete by mucking it up and looking for a counterattack. The key for Bayern Munich was patience and it eventually paid off. Everyone will take the win and be happy, but the game will not give many people assurances that the squad will be ready to face Inter Milan in a little more than a week (unless you have irrational confidence like me). Rather than harp on some of the deficiencies of the match, it was good to just see the team rely on its grit and persistence to grab three points.

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

City scoping Larsson (@Plettigoal)

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Larsson is one of the most coveted players in all of Europe — and now Manchester City is ready to get involved with a pursuit:

Excl | Manchester City have entered the race for Hugo #Larsson!

20 y/o top midfielder is keen on their interest. Eintracht Frankfurt have been informed. First initial talks took place. #MCFC

Boss Markus Krösche demanding at least €60m. Larsson is under contract until 2029. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, and several other teams are also monitoring him, including top Bundesliga clubs.

Šeško ready for next step (Get German Football News)

Benjamin Šeško might be looking for his next challenge and Bayern Munich could be off the table (which runs counter to another recent report):

Bild reports that the chances of Benjamin Seško staying at RB Leipzig for another season are very slim as all signs point towards an exit.

Seško has a release clause in his Leipzig clause that is currently worth €70m but can rise to €80m by the end of the season. The Slovenian also has a contract that is valid until 2029.

Despite being very inconsistent on the pitch, Seško feels like he is ready to take the next step in his career. The one condition that could potentially keep the 21-year-old at the club is if Leipzig qualify for the Champions League. However, the chances are very slim.

The striker has attracted interest from the Premier League, Arsenal, Manchester United, AC Milan in Italy and even Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

A move to Bayern is almost ruled out as he does not want to play as a backup to Harry Kane and wants a guarantee of playing time. For that to be possible, Bayern would need to change their formation or sell Kane.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 36 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich’s preparation for the stretch run of the season hit some snags over the course of the last week thanks to some very untimely injuries.

Despite that, the club is pushing forward and even keeping one eye on in the future as well. Let’s talk about all of that and more in this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• Let’s talk about what the losses of Bayern Munich stars Alphonso Davies, Manuel Neuer, and Dayot Upamecano mean for the rest of this season.
• Will Vincent Kompany learn anything from the slew of injuries he’s dealing with at the moment?
• It’s time for a transfer rumor round-up. Let’s talk about the most recent players linked to Bayern Munich, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, VfB Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade, Chelsea FC’s Christopher Nkunku, Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, and Mainz 05’s Jonathan Burkardt.
• A brief Entertainment Rundown.

LFC, Bayern keeping an eye on Cherki (ESPN)

Liverpool FC and Bayern Munich are both keeping an eye on Lyon’s Rayan Cherki:

Liverpool and Bayern Munich are on high alert after Lyon’s decision to part ways with forward Rayan Cherki this summer, according to The Sun. The 21-year-old was the subject of a bid from Borussia Dortmund in January, but a late change of heart from Lyon meant the proposed deal fell through. However, it should be a very different story this summer, as a host of European clubs are keen on signing Cherki. The player and club have now come to an agreement that will see him move on once the transfer window opens. Cherki’s contract expires in June 2026.

NUFC could make move for Boniface (ESPN)

Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface may be another part of the club’s exodus this summer.

Newcastle will need to spend at least £40 million if they want to sign Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface this summer, Football Insider says. Chelsea are also keeping tabs on the Nigeria international, who has scored 10 goals in 22 appearances this season. Boniface very nearly moved to Saudi Arabia in January but ultimately missed out after Al Nassr opted to sign Jhon Durán. Nevertheless, a squad overhaul is expected to take place at Leverkusen in the summer, with Boniface among those likely to leave the German club. Newcastle, meanwhile, are keeping tabs on various strikers in case Alexander Isak leaves St James’ Park — Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester United have all been linked with a move for the Sweden international.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Emergency Edition: Bayern Munich loses Alphonso Davies for the season, Dayot Upamecano for “several weeks” (Bavarian Football Works)

The hits keep on coming for Bayern Munich.

The international break was not kind to the Bavarians as Manuel Neuer suffered a setback with his calf issue. Little did we know that injury would be the least of our concerns. Alphonso Davies tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season, while Dayot Upamecano has “loose bodies” in his knee and will miss up to six weeks per Bild.

Obviously, this is not ideal, so let’s discuss:

• How the news broke and why did Bayern Munich downplay Davies’ injury?
• Upamecano’s injury seemed to come out of nowhere.
• What might have caused this? The schedule? The conditions? Wear-and-tear?
• Where does Bayern Munich go from here and how it can cover the loss of two key players like Upamecano and Davies.

United scouting Yildiz (ESPN)

Manchester United is scouting former Bayern Munich prospect Kenan Yildiz, who could be on the move from Juventus:

Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz on numerous occasions, and he has now emerged as a firm target for the summer. Tuttosport reports that the 19-year-old, who was born in Germany but has won 18 senior caps for Turkey, is not available for transfer — but that stance could change if Juve fail to qualify for the Champions League. The Old Lady sit fifth in the Serie A table, with only the top four likely to make it into the UCL.

Yildiz came through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich but didn’t play a first-team game before moving to Italy on a free transfer at the age of 17 in 2022. Man United are said to have been present at several matches, and boss Ruben Amorim sees Yildiz as a good fit for one of the two No. 10 roles in his preferred system. Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool are also linked to a player who could cost €80m.

United considering Ekitiké (@Plettigoal)

Like many other clubs in England, Manchester United wants Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké:

Eintracht Frankfurt are aware that Manchester United are seriously considering Hugo #Ekitike as a potential transfer target for the upcoming summer. #MUFC

Arsenal (Isak remains the No. 1 target), Liverpool, and Juventus have also registered their interest. #LFC

Eintracht firmly expect his departure, as reported. #SGE are demanding €80m.