Niklas Süle will leave FC Bayern after this season. It is an unusual process for the Bundesliga giants, but it has a very factual background.
The rumor persists between Grünwald, where Niklas Süle lives, and Fröttmaning, where the FC Bayern arena is located. The 26-year-old defender should not be averse to the favorite drink of many Munich residents.
After all, in the Bavarian state capital it is a matter of course to drink a Spezi at a so-called sundowner in summer on the Isar.
National player was criticized at FC Bayern
However, the soft drink is not necessarily the best refreshment option for professional athletes. The rumor picked up speed around the famous Säbener Straße at the end of 2020. At that time, Süle was out for weeks because of “training deficit”, the “tz” reported. The Hessian was in rehabilitation training after a persistent cruciate ligament tear. But he also brought a few kilos overweight with him to rehab. That’s how it’s told.
After moving from 1899 Hoffenheim to Munich in 2017, Süle himself spoke frankly of a polarizing passion. “The bad thing about me is the sweet drinks. I like to drink Spezi. If I omit that, that’s half the battle. If I switch to water, I’ll lose two or three kilos,” he said at the time. It is not known whether he left it out. At least the talks about a possible extension of his contract, which runs until the summer of 2022, have stalled. Only now, at the end of January, has there been a concrete development.
Julian Nagelsmann and Niklas Süle (left): The Bayern coach and his player after beating Hertha BSC. (Source: MIS/imago images)
DFB star will probably leave FC Bayern
As several media reports, the 1.95 meter tall footballer will not extend his expiring contract and will leave on a free transfer. It is unusual news for the Bundesliga giants, who recently extended their contract with French winger Kingsley Coman (25 years) to 2027 (!) and are about to reach an agreement with Manuel Neuer (35). The world champion should stay until 2025 instead of 2023. He would probably end his career in Munich.
But Süle dances out of line. Why? The massive central defender is considered to be opinionated and self-confident. He is said not to have liked the fact that the Munich bosses doubted his suitability for the 2020 Champions League winner more than a year ago. Because: Süle returned – and how. He visibly lost a few kilos – and then rows of opponents out of the game. But that’s not all: After playing just 17 minutes at the pan-European Football Championship 2021, he continued to develop his football under the innovative Julian Nagelsmann in the months that followed. Süle defended even higher, sometimes behind the center line. He wasn’t satisfied with playing the interceptor at the back, but primarily pushed attacks as a playmaker. Just like Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng used to do at Bayern Munich. Just as he had missed it for a long time.
Nagelsmann demanded more from the Bayern star
But the unrest surrounding his person never stopped. After background research, the news magazine “Spiegel” published a report in September in which the national player’s alleged WhatsApp chat messages were shown. The spicy thing about it: Süle is said to have raved about English clubs. “I personally find it borderline if any private chat histories appear somewhere,” said an irritated Nagelsmann afterwards. A little later, in October, the 34-year-old from Upper Bavaria himself took a critical stance.
“Niki still has to develop his potential a bit and then exploit it as a very good central defender,” Nagelsmann told the “Abendzeitung”. What he meant by that: Süle still has big problems with the opponent’s retreat behavior and explosive switching game. Sometimes he seems downright taken by surprise. There is plenty of evidence: Süle, for example, was on the pitch in the fall of the DFB Cup embarrassment in Gladbach (0: 5) as well as in the fatal 0: 6 of the DFB team in November 2020 in Spain. He could never turn off said weakness.
The fact that FC Bayern is obviously not the measure of all things for Süle is not only documented by the “Spiegel” report. The “tz” recently published a photo of Süles, which shows him in the Berlin Olympic Stadium in 2015 in the jersey of FC Barcelona. Just that Barca should now be just as interested in him, according to “Bild”. FCB President Herbert Hainer put the pressure on at the weekend. “We made an offer to Niklas. Now it’s up to him to accept it or not,” said the 67-year-old from Lower Bavaria on Sky. A few days later, the signs point to separation. Speci anecdote or not.