Quick Hit: Bayern Munich needs to extend Manuel Neuer
With the whispers of contentious contract negotiations circling around Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, the transfer vultures are starting to circle. Does the thought of Neuer leaving Munich seem absurd to you?
Me too.
Contract negotiations for an aging goalkeeper, by nature, are ALWAYS going to require a little back-and-forth. Still, it seems that there is some bad blood building up (at least if you believe the rumors) and I think it would be best if Bayern Munich found a way to push its way through that and get Neuer a deal that makes both parties happy.
How did Bayern end up here?
Signing Schalke goalkeeper Alexander Nubel
The long-rumored transfer of Nubel created instant controversy to anyone following the immediate future for Neuer. After two injury-plagued seasons, Neuer had finally gotten back into full form and showed why he is considered to be among the best to ever strap on a pair of gloves between the sticks.
Nubel, on the other hand, has had a VERY shaky season for Schalke and despite his status as the next great German goalkeeper (after Neuer and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen), he does not appear to be quite ready for the bright lights of Bavaria. Worse, the leaked reports of playing time guarantees for Nubel probably rubbed Neuer, a notorious hoarder of minutes, the wrong way whether those whispers are true or not.
Worse, both Nubel and Bayern appear unwilling to talk about a loan, so it would appear that Nubel will be sharing the practice pitch with Neuer one way or the other unless Neuer pushes his way out of town.
When the first rumors emerged regarding Nubel last summer, Neuer had not yet really shown that he was going to get back to 100% of his old self. In fact, there was some doubt about his ability in recovering from his injuries and also if he still had enough "game" to carry a power club.
Those doubts have been silenced.
Through his performance, Neuer has proven that he still has a lot to offer in Munich and perhaps Bayern rushed a bit to sign Nubel at a time when they could have been more patient. That said, a free transfer of great prospect made it a "no lose" situation for the Bayern brass.
What is the best path forward out of this mess?
There is no doubt in my mind that Neuer's next two years (at least) are going to be better than Nubel's. Bayern needs to find a way to way to get a deal done with Neuer to secure the top-level goalkeeper. How Neuer and Nubel coexist during that time is a whole separate issue.
There was some nonsense about Bayern wanting to pursue Ter Stegen, but that was quickly Falk Flexxxxxxed into oblivion.
What's going to happen?
Bayern needs to get a deal done...ASAP. Neuer is too important to a squad that is primed for two or three legitimate chances to win a Champions League crown. Anything less than a reasonably-agreed upon extension would be a huge failure for Bayern.
I'd guess that the two sides work something out, but another goal should be for the negotiations to be a little less public and a lot less contentious in the coming weeks. And then...Bayern can have the pleasure of figuring out how it can keep two of the club's other cornerstone players, Thomas Muller and David Alaba.
