Bayern Munich expected a quiet winter transfer window as they hoped to extend the contracts of key players until Manuel Neuer broke his leg last week. The German international has been ruled out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg in a freak accident during a ski trip.
Die Roten has a solid backup goalkeeper in Sven Ulreich, but the club hierarchy is looking for another goalkeeping option for the second half of the season. The Bavarian club’s first option is to recall Alexander Nubel from his loan spell at Monaco and give him a long run in the team.
Nubel went out on loan to Monaco in 2021 after struggling to get playing time during his debut season at Bayern. The former Schalke goalkeeper has progressed well at Monaco in the last 18 months. He has been a key player for the French team under two different coaches. The Ligue 1 club will ask for compensation if Die Roten manages to bring Nubel back to Bavaria early next month.
Bayern had signed Alexander Nubel from Schalke in 2020 with the idea of him succeeding Neuer in the long run. While talking to Bild, Vatroslav Mihacic (former Goalkeeping coach at Monaco) insisted that Nubel can reach the level of Neuer if he is given the right conditions at Bayern.
"“Under the right conditions, Alex can reach Neuer’s level.”“Nubel is an extremely intelligent goalkeeper who reads the game well and thus anticipates dangerous situations, he’s also well trained and brave in all his interventions.”"
Mihacic also confirmed that Nubel worked hard to work on his weak foot when they worked together at Monaco. He further added that Nubel showed great mental strength to bounce back at Monaco after having a shaky start to life on the pitch in France.
Succeeding Neuer at Bayern is going to be a hell of a task for any goalkeeper, let alone a promising shot-stopper like Alexander Nubel. The 35-year-old German international has been one of the best goalkeepers in the World for most of the last decade. His shot-stopping quality has helped Die Roten to win several games, but his ability to play out from the back helped the Bavarian club to consistently dominate games.
Nubel’s return to Bayern will solely depend on what plans Bayern has for him after the recovery of Neuer. He is not keen on warming the bench if Die Roten continues with Neuer as number one for next season. Hasan Salihamidzic and Julian Nagelsmann will have to convince Nubel that his long-term future is in Bavaria to bring him back in January.
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Apart from Alexander Nubel, Bayern has been heavily linked with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Yann Sommer. The Swiss goalkeeper will be available on a cut-price deal in January since his contract at Gladbach expires in the summer. Sommer has been an impressive goalkeeper for Gladbach, but he is too old to be a long-term option for Die Roten.