Why Bayern will sign Werner instead of Haaland to replace Lewandowski
Stefan Bienkowski
- 9 Sept 2021 16:06 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea may be looking good for a second, consecutive Champions League title and a potential run at the Premier League, but one player in particular remains a little off his game.
Despite scoring three goals in three games during the international break, Timo Werner has struggled to get going at Stamford Bridge this season and found himself sitting on the bench in the club’s last league outing against Liverpool.
Indeed, with the arrival of Romelu Lukaku, it seems as though the Germany international may now be on borrowed time and could now be staring at the exit door come January or the following summer transfer window.
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However, despite his misfortune in London, Werner is still a talented player and one that would be coveted by a number of clubs if he became available. And, as is usually the case when German players go up for sale, Bayern Munich are at the front of the queue.
According to German broadcaster Sport1, Werner has kept in regular contact with new Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann and the report in Germany suggests there is now a “70% chance” of the quick striker making the move to Munich in the near future.
So why would Bayern turn their attention to a striker that has struggled in the Premier League, over other options such as Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland?
Why Bayern may want Werner
First and foremost, the most obvious reason behind the apparent interest in the Chelsea striker from Bayern is likely down to the fact that he is a very good striker that has already proved his worth in the Bundesliga.
At Stuttgart and then RB Leipzig, Werner bagged no less than 91 goals and 42 assists in 222 games in the German top flight and, as such, would be returning to Germany as a proven talisman that could offer a lot in attack for Bayern.
The second reason behind Bayern’s interest will surely come from the fact that if Werner does leave Chelsea he’ll be doing so at a cut-down rate, following his failure to establish himself as a proven first team star.
There’s little chance of Bayern paying the €50 million Chelsea had to fork over to sign him in 2020, but a figure between €30-40m is exactly the kind of fee the Munich giants tend to be comfortable spending on important first team players. And at just 25 years of age, it’s easy to see how Bayern could get at least another eight years out of the striker.
Although Robert Lewandowski remains in top form for Bayern, the club will be looking to make plans for his eventual succession when his contract expires in 2023. The club can either lock horns with some of the deepest pockets in European football and break the bank in the pursuit of Haaland, or they could swoop in for Werner, a proven talent that will score goals for fun in the Bundesliga and cost a fraction of the price.
For Bayern, a club that prides itself on balancing the books and not putting themselves in financial risk, the decision will likely be an easy one. Haaland is unlikely to end up in Munich, but Werner could very easily become a Bayern player before too long.
