The arrival of soccer star Sadio Mané with his entourage at Munich Airport already documented that FC Bayern is also dealing with a transfer with special appeal.
The new spectacle kicker of the Bundesliga came to Germany in a private plane. A red sedan picked Mané up on the tarmac to drive him into town for a medical check-up. In front of the clinic, Mané wrote the first autographs in the red Bayern shirt. “In any case, we are all happy and proud that we can bring such a great player, such a world star to Munich,” said sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
Bavaria’s sports director: “Sadio feels good”
After the expected thumbs up from the Bayern doctors, the transfer of the Africa Cup winners from Senegal agreed by the German champions with Liverpool FC could finally be completed. Mané will sign a high-paying contract in Munich until 2025. The transfer fee is reportedly 32 million euros. It could increase to 41 million with certain additional services.
According to media reports, the mega deal should be finally confirmed on Wednesday morning, and the official presentation should then take place in the afternoon.
In accordance with his special importance, Mané should also be presented to the public quickly – in the Allianz Arena. Just like the Colombian James Rodriguez once did. Or Philippe Coutinho. Or Bavaria’s 80 million euro record transfer Lucas Hernández 2019.
After all, Mané’s signing is a special signal from Bayern – both internally and externally. The transfer is the bravura piece for the often critically eyed Salihamidzic. “Sadio feels good,” reported the sports director at “Sky” after the first hours of the newcomer in Munich.
The Bayern sports director almost burst with pride. “Sadio is at the peak of his career, at a top age, is in great shape and he’s greedy for titles – he’s at the right club,” he told the “Bild” newspaper.
Mané burned for FC Bayern “from the first minute”: “It means a lot to all of us – to me, to the coaching team, to the whole club. It’s wonderful that we were able to win such a player for our team,” added Salihamidzic.
Mané: “The right club at the right time”
Before the second part of the medical check, including the signing of the contract on Säbener Straße, Mané stayed at the luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental in the city center. There he dined with club boss Kahn and Salihamidzic.
Mané himself reported the “picture“: “When my advisor first told me about Bayern Munich’s interest, I was hooked. I saw myself there right away. For me it was the right club at the right time.”
The obligation could also open up leeway for the Bayern leadership around CEO Oliver Kahn in the explosive personality of Robert Lewandowski. A move away from Kahn’s “Basta” to a premature farewell to the world footballer in the summer could probably be conveyed better after the Mané coup.
The thoroughbred striker offers a variety of options
Mané could play the prominent goal delivery service for Lewandowski in the future. Above all, however, it should trigger a performance boost in the entire Munich ensemble. His access gives top players like Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich the certainty that they can continue to play for all titles with FC Bayern. “The club has always put together a good squad in recent years. We’ve always had a top team,” said captain Neuer recently with the national team.
Mané’s arrival in the prominent Munich offensive acts primarily as a means of exerting pressure on other aces such as Leroy Sané or Serge Gnabry. Sané only ignited sporadically in his first two Bayern seasons. And for national player Gnabry, there is a free transfer in 2023. Bayern are now prepared early on here.
The explosive thoroughbred striker Mané offers coach Julian Nagelsmann a wide range of options. The professional, who is only 1.75 meters tall and has matured into a world-class striker under coach Jürgen Klopp in Liverpool, can occupy all positions up front, right, left and centre.
Winner-type Mané should ensure “friction in the team”.
Mané is also a winner type. With Liverpool he became the Champions League winner and English champion. Mane scores goals. And he prepares goals. Incidentally, he already knows the Allianz Arena: three years ago he made the Bayern fans, who will be able to cheer for him there every week, suffer in the stands when he scored twice for Liverpool FC and his team to make it 3-1 in Munich thus led to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The premier class is the stage on which Mané is supposed to inspire Bayern. With him, coach Nagelsmann can set fresh points in the team. Uli Hoeneß had already addressed this need in the spring: “I heard that the atmosphere in the team is very good – maybe too good.” There is “too little friction”, the Honorary President suspected.
Nagelsmann also spoke several times in his first year at Bayern that changes in the squad could improve performance. “In the end, we can create friction in the team ourselves if you are active in the transfer market,” said Nagelsmann. That could succeed with the squad upgrade by Mané.