Sane in, Alaba out: The Bayern Munich players who need to stay and go

Stefan Bienkowski

Updated: 19 May 2021 14:09 BST
5 min read

Sane in, Alaba out: The Bayern Munich players who need to stay and go — © ProShots

Bayern Munich may still win the Bundesliga in a month’s time but this week’s elimination from the Champions League will sting for some time to come.

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With an injury-ravaged squad made up of youngsters and reserve players, Hansi Flick’s side were eliminated from the competition they won last season by Paris Saint-Germain on away goals.

While there’s certainly no shame in losing to a club like PSG at this stage of the competition, the manner in which Flick’s squad has crumbled in the latter stages of the season will undoubtedly lead to plenty of internal analysis of what needs fixed in the summer transfer window.

Bayern will be back again to challenge for the Champions League next season, but which players will they have to sell in the summer to do so?

Players Bayern need to sell

Bouna Sarr – Signed from Marseille as cover for the right-back position, Bouna Sarr has never gotten anywhere near the Bayern first team unless a serious number of injuries have forced Flick to consider the defender.

Marc Roca – Like Sarr, Marc Roca was signed from Espanyol to provide cover in the squad and quickly made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t up to the task of offering anything new to this squad.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting – Despite scoring two goals across both legs against PSG, Choupo-Moting is by no means up to the standard of replacing Robert Lewandowski for any period of time. A better “Plan B” is needed for next season.

Players Bayern need to keep

Manuel Neuer – Unquestionably still one of the best goalkeepers in the world and has routinely saved Bayern from dropping points or losing cup games throughout the season.

Alphonso Davies – With David Alaba set to leave the club in the summer, Alphonso Davies will have the entire left flank to himself and should be a worthy successor to the Austrian.

Lucas Hernandez – Has struggled to nail down a starting role in Flick’s team this season but has often impressed when offered the opportunity to do so. Particularly in both legs against PSG. Should form a strong partnership with Dayot Upamecano next season.

Joshua Kimmich – One of the leaders in this team and undoubtedly one of Bayern’s most important players.

Leon Goretzka – Continues to progress every year at Bayern and has not only covered a lot of ground in midfield for the club this season but also papered over a lot of cracks in the squad with his match-winning performances.

Jamal Musiala – Still so young but Jamal Musiala has already shown that he’s ready to be a useful impact sub and continue growing at an impressive speed.

Kingsley Coman – Kingsley Coman proved his worth to Bayern in last season’s treble-winning campaign and has continued to perform on the left wing for Flick’s side this time around.

Serge Gnabry – Perhaps Bayern’s most underrated performer this season, Serge Gnabry covers a lot of positions across the attacking line and rarely disappoints.

Leroy Sane – Struggled at first to get to grips with the demands set on all Bayern players, however Leroy Sane has slowly but surely settled into life in Munich and is showing the quality the club spent so much money buying.

Robert Lewandowski – The best striker in the world and unquestionably Bayern’s most important player. He’s showing no sign of slowing as he gets older.

Playing for their Bayern futures

Tanguy Nianzou – Signed with all sorts of promise from PSG, Tanguy Nianzou will have to prove that he can get over his regular injuries and become a genuine option for the first team next season.

Benjamin Pavard – Injuries have played their part in Benjamin Pavard struggling for game time this season but so too has the player’s inability to nail down a proper role in this side. Somewhere between a centre-back and right-back, the France international is a bit of both but certainly neither at the same time.

Niklas Sule – Niklas Sule should get plenty of game time next season with the departure of Alaba and Jerome Boateng but if he wants to be a first-choice pick he’ll have to prove he can be better than Upamecano or Hernandez.

Corentin Tolisso – Missed much of this season through injury, Corentin Tolisso has very rarely excelled in a Bayern shirt for long stretches and may find himself up against a lot more competition in midfield next season.