The good-humoured Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the hint that he looked well rested and fresh with a joke.
“A good lie to start with,” said the 49-year-old football coach at the start of his first preparation as coach of FC Bayern Munich – “freshly shaved for the media”. At the start of the training camp “at the time-honoured Tegernsee”, Tuchel did not go into detail about the speculation about the desired striker Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur and other transfer news. But he commented in detail on the comeback path of captain Manuel Neuer.
New comeback is still ongoing
“I think that the start of the league game and the Supercup is too ambitious a goal,” said Tuchel at a press conference. “We just need time and a bit of patience. We don’t have an abundance of either.” The 37-year-old Neuer, who hasn’t played a game for the record German champions since breaking his lower leg in December, is said to be “most impatient” himself. The goalkeeper will probably not make the long-awaited comeback for the start of the Bundesliga on August 18th. The captain will also not be on the Munich trip to Asia from July 24th to August 3rd with a total of three friendlies in Tokyo and Singapore.
Tuchel left open when and whether Kane, who was courted with a mega offer, would join Bayern. “Unfortunately, I have a very boring answer to the very interesting question: that of course I won’t comment on players who are not under contract with us. This player is one of them,” said Tuchel with a smile. According to media reports, the Munich team offered 80 million euros plus bonus payments in a second offer, but Tottenham Hotspur is said to be demanding at least 100 million euros. As expected, Kane left with his club for a promotional tour in the Asia-Pacific region on Friday.
“If it’s someone that we’re all convinced will help us in terms of sport and personality, then we’re ready to get involved,” said Tuchel.
Guerreiro and Laimer in training
So far, Raphaël Guerreiro from Borussia Dortmund and Konrad Laimer (RB Leipzig) are new to the Munich squad. Defender Min-Jae Kim is expected to join from Italian champions SSC Napoli, as is Kyle Walker (Manchester City). “I know we’re working flat out on some things, but the grass doesn’t grow any faster if you pull on it,” said Tuchel.
When speculating about departures, Tuchel indirectly hinted at the possibility of changes, especially with Sadio Mané and Benjamin Pavard. “The starting position is not easy for him. Time will make us a little smarter,” said Tuchel about Mané, who was hailed as the king’s transfer a year ago. The striker no longer has a promising future in Munich. Mané is associated with clubs from Saudi Arabia. The “Ariadhiah” portal, citing unnamed sources, reported negotiations with Al-Nassr, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s employer. Pavard kept toying with the idea of moving to another European country.
Goalie Escape to the New Return
Alexander Nübel does more than that. The goalkeeper, who was last loaned out to AS Monaco, would like to leave Munich – like Yann Sommer with a new recovery. The Swiss, who was committed as a new substitute in winter, does not want to jeopardize his EM chances with a bank place. “I don’t think it makes sense to do anything in the goalkeeper position at the moment because the situation is too unclear,” said Tuchel with a view to Neuer’s return timetable.
With Leon Goretzka, who is also considered a possible candidate for a change due to the great competition in midfield, Tuchel sees “still room for improvement”. The national player is someone “of whom we expect a lot,” said the coach: “Our job is to help him.”
