The winter transfer window witnessed a significant change in the goalkeeping department at Bayern Munich. The Bavarian club signed Yann Sommer from Borussia Monchengladbach after Manuel Neuer was ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Swiss goalkeeper has signed a two and half year deal with Bayern. He made his debut for the Bavarian club against RB Leipzig last Friday. Sommer is yet to get his first clean sheet with Bayern, but he is expected to be a crucial addition to the squad for the rest of the season.
Before signing Sommer from Monchengladbach, Bayern was planning to recall Alexander Nubel from his loan spell at Monaco. The former Schalke goalkeeper joined Monaco on a two-year loan deal in 2021. Rekordmeister had to agree a compensation fee with Monaco to break the loan deal six months early.
Despite Bayern’s intense efforts to bring Nubel back to Bavaria, the German goalkeeper was not keen on returning before the end of the season. Monaco was also not interested in parting ways with Alexander Nubel in January. While talking to ZDF last weekend (via iMiaSanMia), Nubel insisted that he will hold talks with Bayern in the summer before making a decision on his future.
"“Every club in this category has goalkeepers at a very good level and I have to face that. Of course we’ll have talks in the summer and will discuss what makes the most sense.”"
Alexander Nubel also explained his decision not to return to Bavaria in January. The faith shown by team management and the opportunity to play regularly at Monaco convinced Nubel to continue in Ligue 1. He believes that playing consistently at the top level is crucial for him at this stage of his career.
Previously, several reports in Germany have confirmed that Bayern considers Nubel as the long-term successor of Neuer. However, Nubel has been clear for several months that he wants to play regularly instead of being number two at Die Roten.
The arrival of Sommer plunges Nubel’s long-term future at Rekordmeister. If Neuer completes his recovery on time before the start of the season, Alexander Nubel will have to compete with three goalkeepers to get playing time in the first team. He will surely look for a loan or even a permanent move in the summer to get consistent playing time. Considering his good performances in Ligue 1, Monaco will look to sign him again in the summer.
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For now, Sommer will start most games for Die Roten during the second half of the season. Sven Ulreich will serve as number two. The club hierarchy will have to make some tough decisions in the summer to resolve the goalkeeping situation.