Bayern Munich: Does Matthijs de Ligt’s injury open the door for Jerome Boateng?
If losing 3-1 to a third-division side was not bad enough, Bayern will likely be without star Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt who is set to miss the rest of the Hinrunde. Bayern were already dealing with a minor crisis in central defense considering De Ligt has only just returned and Dayot Upamecano is still working his way back to full fitness.
Central midfielder Joshua Kimmich was forced to play out of position against FC Saarbrucken and it’ll be interesting to see what Tuchel does this weekend in Der Klassiker with Upamecano unlikely to be available considering he’s only just returned to individual training.
Does Matthijs de Ligt’s injury open the door for Jerome Boateng?
Jerome Boateng, who made over 220 appearances for Bayern Munich has remained at Sabener Strasse to maintain his fitness as he looks for another club.
At the start of October, it was revealed that Bayern had decided against signing the central defender, which came on the back of several fan protests. Boateng was charged with assault back in 2021, and Bayern fans urged the team to stick to their morals.
However, now there is a report in BILD that suggests that the signing of Jerome Boateng may be back on the agenda following the injury to De Ligt. It’s also reported that Thomas Tuchel is in favour of the signing considering his lack of options.
The assault charge almost certainly played a key role in the decision not to sign Jerome Boateng, and the case is set to be reopened at some point in the future. However, the report in BILD indicates that the case won’t be reopened during the season, which opens the door for a short-term deal that could be negotiated to reinforce the defense, at least until January.
Next. Matthijs de Ligt likely to miss rest of Hinrunde. dark
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There are multiple problems if Bayern brings Boateng back to the club. The fact the case won’t be re-opened during the season doesn’t change the morality of the decision. Fans will still be upset and rightfully so. There’s also the fact that Boateng isn’t the same player who left Munich back in 2021, and at 35 it’s unclear how much he’ll bring to the team.
Bayern had previously been linked with a move for former Dortmund man Sokratis Papastathopoulos, but the Greek international signed a deal with La Liga side Real Betis, which means that option is off the table. If Upamecano can’t go at the weekend, Bayern will likely need to juggle the pack to play someone out of position, and maybe a youngster like Tarek Buchmann gets a spot on the bench.