The speculation has decreased surrounding Thomas Muller, but he remains unsure about his future at Bayern Munich.
In October, Thomas Muller struggled to feature in the starting XI. The German forward was heavily linked with a move away from Bayern Munich as Niko Kovac favoured Philippe Coutinho over him in the attacking midfield position.
However, two months is a long time in football. Since then, Kovac left Bayern, and Hansi Flick took over the role of head coach. Muller has massively benefitted from this move as he was reinstated back into the starting lineup.
The German forward has not let Flick down as he has been a star performer for Die Roten in November and December. He will have a much bigger role to play in the second half of the season due to injuries to Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.
Despite his good form and regular playing time, Muller remains doubtful about his long term future in Bavaria. Speaking to Sport1, Muller admitted that he would hold discussions with the club in summer to decide his future.
"“My focus is exclusively on successfully contesting the season. What will happen in the summer, I will talk to the club and to myself. Then let’s see which direction it goes.”“With such a thing, all parties put their arguments in the pot. Let’s see if you can get a menu there. You just have to compare what all parties want.”"
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Muller is right to consider all options as Bayern is certainly going to add players in the attacking department. Manchester City winger Leroy Sane is a prime target for the German champions, while Philippe Coutinho may make his transfer permanent in summer. Even if the Brazilian goes back to Barcelona, Bayern may try to replace the Brazilian with Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz.
Despite these additions, Muller is likely to have a future at Bayern. The German has been a creative force for the club this season, with 11 assists in the Bundesliga. He has been on a steady decline in front of the goal, but he still has the creativity in his game to pick passes for other forwards. Moreover, his clever movement also helps in stretching tight defenses.
At the end of the season, the club needs to sit down with Muller and provide a proper outline of the role he will play next season. Both the player and club must agree to a certain amount of games he will play next season. The German also needs to understand that he will slowly become a bit-part player as the time progresses.
Muller has been a very important player for Die Roten over the years. The German forward may be past his best, but he can still play a pivotal role both on and off the pitch. Bayern needs to make things clear with Muller and handle this situation better so that all parties are satisfied.