Why Thomas Muller should grasp his Newcastle chance
Robin Bairner
- 7 Feb 2022 19:36 GMT
- 3 min read
The idea of Thomas Muller leaving Bayern Munich to join Newcastle might have been pure fantasy football six months ago, but the Saudi takeover of the St James’ Park side has transformed the landscape of the game.
Muller, one of world football’s modern-day greats, now finds himself associated with the Premier League club.
Of course, there is a long way to go before a transfer might take place, but as far-fetched as it may sound, it is a switch that is worth his time considering, assuming, of course, that Newcastle retain their place in England’s top flight.
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Firstly, it is worth considering if Muller might depart Bayern, where he has given 14 years’ service to the first team and spent his whole professional career.
According to Bild, it is. Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski and Muller are all out of contract in 2023, and though all three are far from finished at the top level, it is reported that it will be an expensive operation to renew all three – perhaps prohibitively so.
What Newcastle can offer Muller
That is where Newcastle can step in.
Muller has achieved almost everything there is in the game. He has every major club honour that he might have won, from the Champions League to the DFB Pokal via the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
League titles, meanwhile, have been won as a matter of course in the Bundesliga. Bayern are well on course for their 10th successive domestic crown – a period of dominance unrivalled in any of Europe’s leagues. With or without Thomas Muller, there is no sign of that stopping.
Newcastle would provide an entirely different challenge. Of course, the aim for the St James’ Park side is trophies, but these would be altogether more special than ‘just’ another league title. The test would be broader and more nuanced, with progress up the league table both expected and celebrated.
At the vanguard of this, he could build a legacy as a club legend in the three, four or five years that he still has in him at the top level.
The Magpies, after all, are a far more flavoursome club than the gentrified giants of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal or Chelsea. Newcastle is a football city still dominated by football fans rather than tourists, where the team remains at the heart of the community as opposed to a weekend distraction.
Muller, then, has the chance to be at the forefront of a football revolution in Newcastle, where he could be forever heralded as a hero. Regardless of how he concludes his career, he will always have that status at Bayern Munich. Now it is time he embraces a new challenge.
