KOMPANY CONTENT WITH KANE’S CONTROLLED ENGLAND WORKLOAD
Bayern boss Vincent Kompany has "no issue" with England's use of Harry Kane during the break. The striker, who scored twice for England, is fit for Der Klassiker against unbeaten rivals Dortmund.
During the October international break, Vincent Kompany had no problem with England's deployment of Harry Kane, a forward for Bayern Munich.
After suffering an ankle injury during Bayern's triumph at Eintracht Frankfurt two weeks prior, Kane was unable to play in England's 3-0 friendly victory against Wales at Wembley.
The in-form 32-year-old Kane reacted with a brace after England manager Thomas Tuchel, whom Kompany replaced at Allianz Arena, deemed him fit for Tuesday's World Cup qualifying match in Latvia.
"I am not the coach of England or Germany," Kompany said at a press conference before Saturday's Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund. The coaches have the final say.
"Everyone wants Harry to be in good shape. Our objectives are the same. If a player is not healthy, nobody wins. He had adequate time to prepare for the next game because he did not play in the first one. So, everything is OK.
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker has scored 21 goals in 13 club and national appearances this season, including his double for England.
Kane, the captain of England, recently gave Kompany credit for helping him "unlock another level" in his game.
However, Kompany maintained, "On his own, he is at his next level. That is what he always does. That is the mindset he established every year, even when I was playing against him and in the years that followed.
Perhaps the fact that he did not win a title for a while helped him maintain his hunger.
He is aware of his potential contribution to our squad and to his colleagues. He then demonstrates his abilities by including others in addition to his ambitions.
"There is no additional strain on him if he occasionally performs worse, but we hope he can maintain that. There, the others will make up for it. We have a lot of faith in our team.
Dortmund's visit will put Bayern's spotless record of ten wins this season in jeopardy.
With four wins from their six league games, Dortmund is currently second in the Bundesliga behind leaders Bayern, but Kompany assured his squad that eliminating their opponent's undefeated domestic start would not provide them with any additional motivation.
"That is not a thing for me," Kompany continued. All we want is to win. These championship matchups with Dortmund are comparable to their own cup competition.
"I mean in the sense that a five-win or five-loss streak is irrelevant. Your only goal in this game is to win. I do not want it to be boiled down to three points or a record. All we want is to defeat Dortmund. Is it that easy?
"First against second, both undefeated, is our motive for this Klassiker. This game has us thrilled.
"On the whole, Dortmund is a good team because of a variety of factors, but we are at home and are prepared for this match. I am hoping for a successful outcome for us and a fantastic game for the supporters.
BAYERN MUNICH RULE OUT MARCUS RASHFORD MOVE REGARDLESS OF ANTHONY GORDON OUTCOME
Marcus Rashford is not a target for Bayern Munich this summer, as the club focuses entirely on signing Gordon from Newcastle.
Bayern Munich aren’t considering a move for Marcus Rashford this summer, no matter what happens with Anthony Gordon. That’s according to a German reporter who’s close to the story.
Right now, Rashford is wrapping up his loan at Barcelona. He’s set to return to Manchester United at the end of the season. Barcelona have an option to make the deal permanent for €30 million (£26 million) in the summer. Both Rashford and Barcelona want him to stay, but here’s the catch: the club doesn’t want to pay the full €30 million.
Barcelona would rather keep Rashford on loan for another year or get him for a lower fee. Manchester United’s not having it. They want the full price, so Barcelona are starting to look at other players.
Rashford hasn’t made a secret of where he wants to be. Earlier in the season, he told Sport, one of the local Barcelona papers, about how much he wants to stay, saying, “Of course, what I want is to stay at Barca. It’s the ultimate goal.” He talked about the pressure and expectations at the club, saying they keep him motivated and that he feels like he’s in the perfect environment to grow and win trophies. For now, though, it’s all up in the air until next summer.
Last year, Bayern Munich actually showed some interest in Rashford before he went to Barcelona. But now, they’re focused on signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for the left wing. The problem is, Gordon’s interested, but Newcastle’s price is ridiculous, reportedly around £80 million (€92.6 million). That’s much higher than what Bayern’s willing to pay. They’re thinking closer to £60 million (€69.4 million), and maybe with add-ons or an instalment plan. If Newcastle won’t budge, it probably isn’t happening.
Christian Falk, a trusted journalist from Bild, says Bayern aren’t considering Rashford as a backup if they can’t land Gordon. Bayern’s got a short list of players for the left wing, and Rashford isn’t on it. Gordon’s their main focus, but even if that deal falls through, Rashford’s not the next in line.
So at this stage, Bayern and Rashford won’t be coming together this summer, even if Gordon stays at Newcastle. That’s just not in the plans.
BAYERN MUNICH IDENTIFY ARSENAL’S KAI HAVERTZ AS TOP TARGET FOR SUMMER WINDOW
From North London to Munich? Kai Havertz emerges as the leading candidate to join Bayern’s elite Premier League-built attack.
Bayern Munich still have their eye on an Arsenal star, hoping to bring more Premier League experience up front, especially after plans with Chelsea fell apart.
Right now, Bayern are among the best teams in Europe. It really depends on how you rank PSG, but Bayern’s up there, no question. Vincent Kompany deserves a lot of credit for getting them to this level. Still, you can’t ignore their recruitment. They keep picking top-flight Premier League attackers, and it works.
With Luis Diaz, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, Bayern’s attack is lethal. Those three have already scored 100 goals this season. Defenders in the Bundesliga just can’t cope, and you can tell their time in England’s toughest league has paid off.
Bayern have another Premier League forward in the mix right now, but he’s not sticking around.
Chelsea deal off, Bayern looking at Arsenal.
On Wednesday, Fabrizio Romano made it official that X: Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson will head back to Stamford Bridge this summer because Bayern aren’t activating his €65m buy option. Bayern’s director, Max Eberl, confirmed it, so that the backup spot behind Kane opens again when Jackson leaves.
James Benge reports that Kai Havertz’s name is coming up as a possible replacement. He said on the Inside Arsenal podcast that Bayern are definitely interested, “but nothing concrete yet.” Havertz could be the squad player who covers for Musiala and Kane.
Honestly, signing a German for Germany’s top club makes sense. Arsenal won’t just roll over, though, if Bayern come calling. Even after picking up Viktor Gyokeres last summer, Mikel Arteta still prefers Havertz up front. When Arsenal played Manchester City in their biggest game this season, Arteta benched Gyokeres and started Havertz.
Havertz has had injury issues this year. Heading into summer, he’ll still have two years left on his contract. If Bayern make a strong offer, Arsenal could think about selling.
Must Read
_1776625292.webp)
