Croatian forward Ante Rebic was eager to follow Niko Kovac this summer, but his Bayern Munich move never materialized.
Ante Rebic was one of the most sought after players in the summer transfer window. The Croatian enjoyed a fantastic World Cup, helping his nation reach the finals of the competition. Rebic was also one of the key players for Eintracht Frankfurt last season. He scored two crucial goals in the DFB Pokal final against Bayern Munich, helping Niko Kovac’s former side lift their first trophy in over 20 years.
Bayern Munich and Manchester United were both heavily linked with Rebic in the transfer window. The link to Bayern was pretty obvious, as Niko Kovac left Frankfurt to join the Bavarians in the summer. Kovac was fond of his fellow countryman and reportedly wanted to bring him to Munich.
Speaking to Sport Bild, Bruno Hubner — Frankfurt’s Sporting Director — admitted that Rebic was desperate to join Bayern in the summer. He further added that Rebic was eager to stay in Germany, so Bayern would have been his dream destination.
"“It was certainly the dream of Ante to go with his foster father Niko Kovac to Bayern last summer.“Ante was always considered a great talent who never really got the job done. This has changed under Niko Kovac.”"
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After failing to get a move in the summer, Rebic extended his contract at Frankfurt till 2022. In the latest transfer report from Bild, Rebic was listed as one of eight transfer targets for Bayern Munich. The Bavarians will have to fork out a bigger fee if they decide to sign him in the January transfer window. Rebic can play anywhere across the front three, and his tenacity in the final third helps his team to press hard. The Croatian is not a prolific goal scorer, but he has the potential to be one if he is used perfectly.
In another chat with Bild, Hubner also gave his opinion on Kovac’s recent struggles at Bayern. He insisted that Kovac is a brilliant coach and he needs to be given time in Munich to succeed. Hubner believes that Niko doesn’t have the same level of backing and control that he did in Frankfurt.
Bayern Munich made a fantastic start to the season, winning their first seven games across all competitions. Their first setback came against Augsburg, when they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena. Since then, Bayern have gone on a run of four games without a win. They have tasted two defeats in the Bundesliga, the most appalling of which came against Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend.
This recent poor run of form has brought out the talks of a “crisis” at Bayern. There have been several reports about players being upset with Kovac. President Uli Hoeness is backing Kovac to turn things around despite being skeptical about his rotational policy. Bayern are set to play against Wolfsburg next weekend, and Kovac desperately needs a win in this game to cool things down at the club.