Lothar Matthaus urges Bayern Munich to keep Sebastian Rudy
Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus warns his former club against selling Sebastian Rudy to RB Leipzig this summer.
Sebastian Rudy has come under a heavy spotlight in the past few days. The German midfielder has reportedly held talks with RB Leipzig about a possible transfer before deadline day. Bayern Munich have not yet commented about these rumors, but they are likely to allow Rudy to leave if RB Leipzig makes a decent offer, as they are eager to cut down in the midfield department.
Rudy has been linked with a move to all of Napoli, Schalke and RB Leipzig throughout the summer transfer window. However, Lothar Matthaus believes it would be a huge mistake for Bayern to sell Rudy this summer. In his column for Sky Sports, Matthaus said that Rudy can still play a crucial role at Bayern, as the current squad is lack for holding midfielders.
"“In my opinion, it would be a big mistake to let Rudy move in. Besides Javi Martinez, I only see a real six in the Bayern squad – and that is Sebastian Rudy.”"
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The German midfielder was the first choice defensive midfielder under Carlo Ancelotti during the few months they shared at the club. Javi Martinez was exclusively deployed as a center-back under the Italian. After Ancelotti’s departure, however, Martinez was moved back into midfield. This minor change led to less gametime for Rudy under Jupp Heynckes.
Niko Kovac has showed in preseason that he is going to stick with one holding midfielder in the starting lineup, and Javi Martinez still remains the first choice option for this position. The Spaniard is 29 now and tends to struggle with injuries. If Martinez is managed perfectly, then more consistent performances can be extracted from him. Nevertheless, Rudy remains the only player in the Bayern squad who can adequately replace Martinez as a true defensive midfielder.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich are right on their part to consider offloading the German. The current squad has too many midfielders, which could lead to some serious selection headaches for Kovac.
Arturo Vidal has already been sold to Barcelona this summer. Thiago Alcantara was initially expected to leave the club as well, but he now looks set to stay in Munich. This almost guarantees that Rudy will be the next midfield casualty at Bayern Munich.
Next. Sebastian Rudy to RB Leipzig would be a great move. dark
While Rudy may be Bayern’s only true defensive midfielder behind Martinez, Thiago Alcantara is more than capable of playing a holding midfield role. The Spaniard occasionally played in the position under Ancelotti and has featured there with the Spanish national team. Corentin Tolisso, Leon Goretzka and Renato Sanches may all be more box-to-box midfielders, but they are capable of dropping back if needed. Matthaus’ concern is understandable, but Bayern have plenty of quality in midfield to compensate for Rudy’s departure.