Corentin Tolisso tried to assert himself at FC Bayern for five years. But the injury-prone Frenchman did not get beyond good approaches. Now the paths separate – in an ugly way.
FC Bayern plans its future without Corentin Tolisso. That’s not a surprise.
Because the man who, at 41.5 million euros, was the most expensive purchase in league history at the time in the summer of 2017, never became what he should have become in Munich. Namely a dynamic and dangerous driver. The time of the 27-year-old is over.
And unlike Robert Lewandowski, who also announced on Monday that the “FC Bayern chapter” was over for him (of course, the club sees it very differently), Tolisso would obviously have liked to stay on Säbener Straße. But the doors were slammed shut on him, in an ugly way. As he claims.
Speaking to the French sports newspaper “L’Equipe”, the midfielder wondered about the way the senior management around sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić and boss Oliver Kahn dealt with the expiring contract. This story also revolves around the currently highly sensitive issues at the record champions.
It revolves around money, appreciation (according to Uli Hoeneß, it only works in euros) and communication. “I hadn’t heard from the club for three weeks. I told my agent to call – and the decision had already been made,” confessed the frustrated 2018 world champion and explained why he wasn’t before the last home game against VfB Stuttgart had been adopted. He didn’t know the club’s decision at the time.
So much unrest was rare at Bayern
What’s going on in Munich? So much restlessness and anger in the squad was rare. And the current situation does not make the new club management look good. She even makes her look so bad that the eternal patriarch Hoeneß broke his word and got involved in the affairs again.
He rumbled and lit small fires. As he had always done when it came to protecting his club, asserting or recapturing communication sovereignty. Whether you like it or not, Hoeneß has the gift of attracting public interest in one sentence.
He masters the game of distracting maneuvers – like no official before and no official after him. Neither have his successors at the top of the record champions (yet).
Niklas Süle is leaving the club without a fee and moving to rival Borussia Dortmund. According to Hoeneß, it’s only a matter of money, but if you look back at the giant’s time in Munich, then there’s another interpretation.
Again and again there were doubts as to whether Süle could be a FC Bayern player. Again and again there were doubts about his attitude, nutrition is the keyword. These were doubts that were also publicly formulated.
FC Bayern: Was Corentin Tolisso too greedy?
It is still unclear whether Lewandowski will leave the master. Poland’s goal guarantee, meanwhile, is leaving no stone unturned to somehow get out of his contract this summer.
Sometimes he and his advisor Pini Zahavi play the heart card, saying that the striker has the big dream of moving to Real Madrid, pardon me, to FC Barcelona, sometimes they go all-in with the topic of appreciation. And again and again the gigantic debate narrows down to the role of the club, the role of the bosses, who simply don’t look good because of the complaints from the players.
With Lewandowski, the topic still resonates that the club let the talks about the future drag on because they dreamed in the background of being able to sign Erling Haaland.
Tolisso is now the fifth free transfer in just one year after Champions League winner David Alaba, iconic calf biter Javi Martinez, world champion Jérôme Boateng and Süle. The next season is already threatening at the end of the coming season: National player Serge Gnabry should not want to extend his expiring contract.
Here, too, it is, as you can guess, about appreciation. He apparently wants to look for and find them at Real Madrid. And should Sadio Mané, the royal transfer that inspires the whole club, actually switch from Liverpool to Munich, then Gnabry could perhaps already march to the royals.
With Tolisso, who has just stepped in, there is obviously another side to the coin. One that makes the player appear rather ungrateful. He is said to have wished for a significantly adjusted salary of around eleven million for the cooperation beyond this summer. According to the “Bild” newspaper, he should currently get between six and seven million euros.
In view of the injury history, in view of the economic consequences of the corona pandemic and in view of the club’s patience with the almost permanently injured person, this requirement seems rather strange. The people of Munich were apparently only willing to make him an offer of mercy (so “picture”).
Corentin Tolisso’s insane medical record
According to his medical file at “transfermarkt.de”, in five years with the record champions he was unable to work for 545 days due to numerous minor and serious injuries.
This does not include the days on which he worked up his training deficit and built up form. In Munich, if he could have stayed, he would have been a rotation player anyway.
Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are in his position between six and eight. In addition, Jamal Musiala, one of Germany’s greatest talents, is relentlessly pushing into the team and Ryan Gravenberch, another top midfield talent, appears to be on the verge of signing for FC Bayern.
Tolisso is going, with 118 competitive appearances in the record book. He scored 21 goals and prepared 15. A good balance sheet, which, however, was repeatedly clouded by hair-raising mistakes. For example in the 2019/20 season, which after a weak start under coach Niko Kovac ended with the triple under his successor Hansi Flick. In the ludicrous 7-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the group stage of the Champions League (not relevant) and – crucially – in the 1-2 win against Hoffenheim, his wild mistakes conceded goals.
The Munich side said goodbye to their sad Frenchman with a few words of gratitude: “Even in difficult phases, he never let himself be thrown off track and always gave everything for FC Bayern. We wish him every success on his further path,” said Salihamidzic.
In the official statement, Tolisso thanked him for “five wonderful years that have given me so much, both sportingly and personally”. Oh well.
Tobias Nordman