BAYERN MUNICH HELD: VUSKOVIC AND VIEIRA STUN KOMPANY IN A WILD 2-2 HAMBURG DRAW
Luka Vuskovic and Fabio Vieira shine as Hamburg hold Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw. Read the full Bundesliga match analysis here.
Bayern Munich dropped points again in the Bundesliga, settling for a 2-2 draw against Hamburg up north. Harry Kane and Luis Diaz both found the net for Bayern, who took the lead after Fabio Vieira had put Hamburg ahead with a first-half penalty. But Luka Vuskovic, who was everywhere for the hosts, powered in a header to snatch a well-earned point in a wild game at Volksparkstadion.
Early on, Bayern tried to quiet down the home crowd and pushed hard for the first goal. Still, it was Hamburg who struck first. About 30 minutes in, Nicolai Remberg beat Joshua Kimmich to a loose ball and drew a foul from the German midfielder. Fabio Vieira, on loan from Arsenal, coolly slotted the penalty past Manuel Neuer and into the bottom corner.
Bayern didn’t waste much time. Within ten minutes, Serge Gnabry slipped behind the defence and whipped in a cross. Kimmich’s awkward shot landed at Kane’s feet, and the England captain smashed it home. Kompany threw on Luis Diaz at halftime, and it paid off instantly. Diaz finished off a slick pass from Olise less than a minute after coming on.
Hamburg weren't rattled, though. Just eight minutes into the second half, Vuskovic muscled past Alphonso Davies and hammered in a header from William Mikelbrencis’ cross. Hamburg almost took the lead when Neuer fluffed a clearance, leaving Vieira with an open goal, but Davies raced back to clear it off the line. Bayern pushed for a winner and shouted for a couple of penalties, but the referee wasn’t having it. In the end, both sides walked away with a point.
Standout player? Luka Vuskovic, no question. The Croatian centre-back, on loan from Tottenham, gave Hamburg steel at the back and kept Kane pretty quiet. His equaliser—already his fourth of the season—showed a hunger and skill Spurs have been missing lately.
On the flip side, Vincent Kompany has to take some heat. The Bayern boss did well bringing on Diaz, but you wonder if starting him would’ve made the difference. Bayern had the lead but couldn’t finish the job, and Hamburg deserved their share of the spoils.
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.
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