The end of an era?
According to a detailed report from Sky Sport journalists Florian Plettenberg and Kerry Hau (via @iMiaSanMia), the reasons why Bayern Munich are walking away from Thomas Müller are being driven by his salary compared to how much the veteran is playing:
Bayern have made it clear to Thomas Müller and his management that they do not intend to offer him a new contract. Max Eberl originally wanted to let Müller decide on his own future – but the club’s bosses deviated from that after internal discussions. Internally, the word is: Müller is a club legend with a fantastic character. But he’s earning too much for too little game time.
Uli Hoeneß initiated Müller’s departure with his statements last month: “If he’s only a substitute, I would advise him to retire” – Bayern want to further rejuvenate the team and also save salaries. Müller earns up to €17m gross per year, making him one of the top earners.
From an evaluation perspective, Müller is checking all the boxes in terms of what he brings to the table, but Bayern Munich has — allegedly — determined that his value to the team does not match his lofty salary:
Müller’s fitness, enthusiasm and importance to the team are not being disputed, but the bosses agree that with a view to the decreasing fixed deposit account, there’s no longer a balance between salary and performance. Bayern are also actively looking for a new striker to back up Harry Kane. They are also planning to sign at least one new winger.
Müller wants to continue playing football and would’ve liked another year at Bayern. However, he hasn’t made a final decision yet. He has also received offers to join directly as a TV pundit.
There are some questions after reading this:
- Did the club offer Müller a lower salary for his reduced role?
- Did Müller reject a proposal of a lower salary?
- Has anyone considered the horrible optics of this situation at such a key juncture of the season?
The matter is not over yet, but it does appear as if these are the final weeks of the Müller Era at Bayern Munich.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on the wild stories breaking about Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller and how (and why!) his tenure at the club could be coming to an end? What about a discussion on the latest Bayern Munich injury news, which will see the team even more shorthanded for the stretch run of the season? Awesome, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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