In the past couple of days, Bayern Munich has pressed ahead with the plans for summer. The World Champions confirmed the arrival of Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig on Sunday. The French defender decided to join Die Roten over numerous top clubs in Europe due to the German club’s sporting ambitions.
Along with Upamecano, multiple reports in Germany on Sunday revealed that Bayern is close to sealing a deal for Reading FC full-back Omar Richards. The young left-back will be arriving at the club on a free transfer at the end of this season when his contract at the English club comes to an end.
The arrival of new players in the defense has been on the club’s agenda due to certain departures in the summer. Javi Martinez will be leaving the club after his contract expires in the summer, while Jerome Boateng’s future is also uncertain as he enters the final five months of the contract.
The biggest and most high-profile departure for Die Roten will be David Alaba. Bayern couldn’t reach an agreement over a new deal with the 28-year-old defender, so he will be free to join a top European club in the summer. Ahead of his imminent departure, let us look at the best possible destination for Alaba.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid has been heavily linked with Alaba during the past couple of months. The Spanish media insisted in January that the versatile defender has agreed personal terms with Los Blancos. However, the German media has insisted that nothing has been agreed upon between Alaba and the Spanish team.
Moving to Real Madrid remains one of the most attractive propositions for most footballers across the globe. However, the current situation is slightly different as Real Madrid are not exact at the peak of their powers. Alaba could be that inspirational signing at the back, but success is not instantly guaranteed in Europe with Real Madrid.
In terms of domestic dominance, Real Madrid has been in the shadow of Barcelona for most seasons this century. However, Zinedine Zidane managed to guide the team to the La Liga title last season. The title defense has not been the best as Atletico Madrid is pulling away at the top of the league.
Alaba will be able to don that famous white jersey of Real Madrid, but the Spanish giant is not the most attractive sporting project ever since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Moreover, Alaba is unlikely to get an opportunity to play in midfield due to the presence of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro. Since the futures of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane is uncertain, Alaba is likely to slot in central defense if he joins Los Blancos. From a financial point of view, Real Madrid has not been in the best state due to the pandemic, so it remains to be seen whether his wage demands will be met.
Barcelona
Real Madrid is not the only Spanish club that has been linked with Alaba. Barcelona has also shown interest in the player during the past few seasons. Throughout this season, Alaba has not been heavily linked to Barcelona, but the Spanish giant will always be in the mix for a world-class player.
Barcelona finds themselves in a tricky financial state with debt mounting to an astronomic height. It will be very difficult for them to meet the wage demands of Alaba and the agent commission that is likely to be involved in this deal.
However, Alaba may have a chance of playing in the midfield for Barcelona. Sergio Busquets is on a steady decline, while Miralem Pjanic is also struggling to get playing time under Ronald Koeman. Alaba could play in the number six role, allowing Frenkie De Jong to consistently play in the number eight role.
In terms of sporting ambitions, Barcelona is not in a good state. They have won more La Liga titles this century, but the current team doesn’t look close to winning one this year. With some sensible transfers, they could do it next year, but Lionel Messi’s departure will make it difficult for them to mount a challenge in the Champions League.
Chelsea
Chelsea has reportedly been looking at Bayern Munich defenders to improve the squad next summer. Thomas Tuchel is reportedly interested in Niklas Sule and David Alaba. The German manager was appointed as the new manager of Chelsea last month.
If multiple reports are to be believed over the past few years, moving to England has not been a priority for Alaba. However, Chelsea will provide him an exciting challenge if he decides to join them next summer.
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Considering the innovative formations used by Tuchel, Alaba may get an opportunity to play in the midfield at a certain point next season. Moreover, he will be able to add more strings to his bow by working under a progressive top manager in Tuchel.
From a sporting point of view, Alaba could become the face of the Tuchel project that is looking to reach the summit of the Premier League once again. The amount of money spent by Chelsea last summer underlined their ambition to become better than Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League. Life in London is also an attractive option for any player, and Alaba is also likely to get the wage packet that he is looking to get at this stage of his career.
Manchester City
A reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City has also been hinted at in the media for David Alaba. The Austrian defender excelled under Guardiola during his time in Bavaria, so working under him during the final few years of his peak could be an attractive option.
From a sporting point of view, Manchester City has been the most successful team in the Premier League over the past five seasons. They have won two of the last three league titles in England. After a slump last season, Man City is back at the top of the table this year and looks certain to win the title. They are also one of the big contenders for the Champions League title, so Alaba will have a chance to add more medals to his cabinet if he moves to Manchester.
In terms of position in the team, Alaba will get to play in various positions as Guardiola keeps mixing things on a game-to-game basis. Largely, Alaba will play in the left-back position since Man City had issues in that position for some time due to injuries to Benjamin Mendy. Alaba could also be a replacement for Fernandinho in the center of the park.
From a financial point of view, Man City may meet his demands as long as it doesn’t hurt their wage structure massively. The option to move to Manchester due to weather might not be the best option for a player, but Man City ticks almost every box for Alaba.
Other options in Europe
All the previously mentioned clubs have been linked with Alaba on numerous occasions in the last six months. Apart from those obvious names, Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain are big clubs that could be options for Alaba.
Despite winning the PL title last season, the current Liverpool team is likely coming to an end to a successful cycle, so Alaba will not get immediate success at the Merseyside. Meanwhile, Manchester United is a club in transition that Alaba should avoid at the moment.
Paris Saint-Germain could be an attractive option for on and off the pitch reasons. The French club is managed by Mauricio Pochettino, so they are likely to play an attractive brand of football. It could definitely be a good option for Alaba if PSG shows genuine interest in him. Juventus is another club that is going to go in transition, so Turin is another destination Alaba should avoid.
Verdict:
From all options that we have explored, Manchester City looks to be the best possible destination for Alaba in terms of meeting all his demands. Apart from Man City, Chelsea will also be a good option for the Austrian defender. A move to Spain will not be the best possible career option as European trophies look distant for both giants.