Leroy Sane
Last spring, there was a rumor floated around that Leroy Sane was unhappy with his club Manchester City due to a lack of playing time and could potentially want to leave. Enter Bayern Munich in the picture. The club was losing its star two wingers in Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery and needed to replace them. Sporting Director Hasan Salihamidzic decided to pursue Sane to be the “replacement” for the two Bayern legends.
The transfer almost happened until Sane tore his ACL in the Community Shield match in late August. Then, the idea was that Bayern would wait until Sane recovered, and approach Man City to buy him when he is fit, potentially in the winter window. A transfer didn’t take place in winter, so the summer is the next opportunity to complete it.
Looking at Sane specifically, he is an electrifying player. Playing primarily on the left side for City, his combination of speed and dribbling skills is world-class. Combine these abilities with his shooting ability, he is a lethal player, and worthy of Bayern Munich. Due to the injury, he hasn’t played this season, but in the two seasons prior, he had scored 20 goals and racked up 25 assists in the Premier League.
Sane is a game-changer, but due to Pep Guardiola‘s coaching methods, he doesn’t get the special treatment he would get at most other clubs. Guardiola uses a lot of experimentation and rotation in his lineups, which doesn’t fit well with players who want to start every match. There could also be an element of missing Germany, missing home. Coming through the Schalke youth system and then leaving abroad could lead to the player missing home.
In terms of adaptability at Bayern, he would fit in perfectly at the left-wing. Kingsley Coman typically starts there, but given his form, it is no question that Sane would start ahead of him. He could fit in both a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 and would be a major upgrade for the squad.