Former German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann advises Alexander Nubel to reject a move to Bayern Munich next summer.
Bayern Munich refreshed their squad in summer by signing some of best young talents in Europe. Die Roten released several veteran players to make space for these young players. The German club will need a couple more transfer windows to complete this rebuilding process.
The goalkeeping department at Bayern was untouched this summer. Manuel Neuer is completely fit now after struggling with foot injuries in 2017/18 campaign. He remains hungry for success with Die Roten despite entering the twilight of his career.
Bayern will have to start looking at Neuer’s replacement sooner rather than later. The German champions have reportedly identified Schalke’s Alexander Nubel as the ideal successor for Neuer. Nubel is one of the promising young goalkeepers in Europe.
However, Jens Lehmann doesn’t believe that moving to Bayern will be a wise move for Nubel. Speaking to Sky Sports, Lehmann said that Nubel needs to get regular gametime at this stage of his career. The presence of Neuer at Bayern will shunt Nubel’s growth as the former will be the first-choice goalkeeper next season.
"“As long as Manuel Neuer is at Bayern, I wouldn’t go there.”“I would stay at Schalke.”"
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Nubel entered in the final year of his contract at Schalke. The German will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with other clubs in January. Bayern is set to face stiff competition for his signature as RB Leipzig is also showing interest in him.
Schalke will be desperate to extend his contract this season. They are trying hard to convince the 22-year-old to commit his long term future to the club as he was handed captaincy of the first team this season. Nubel has shown rapid growth as a shot-stopper for Schalke in the last 12 months.
Neuer remains the best goalkeeper in Germany, and he showed his brilliance against RB Leipzig last weekend. Die Roten have a decent backup goalkeeper in Sven Ulreich while Christian Fruchtl is highly rated at the club. Ulreich was handed a contract extension when he successfully deputized Neuer for the 2017/18 season.
Nubel’s arrival could impact on future of all these three goalkeepers. Ulreich will have to look for a new club, while Fruchtl might need a loan spell to continue his development. Neuer still has a couple of years left in him, so Die Roten will have to rotate efficiently to keep both the German goalkeepers happy. Bayern have made some tough decisions this summer, but the toughest might come next summer if they decide to sign Nubel from Schalke.