Had it not been protracted talks about the transfer and a horrific injury, Leroy Sane could have become a Bayern player 12 months ago. A lot of people both inside and outside of Germany predicted that Sane would eventually appear in Bayern. Furthermore, as time passed Pep Guardiola rarely gave the German player minutes in the starting lineup and Sane was becoming increasingly discontent with his role in the team.
The summer transfer window was nearing an end and Manchester City almost agreed to a move for their star. Everything went according to plan until the German had to replace Riyad Mahrez in the English Super Cup game. Maybe he wouldn’t have come out at all if the Algerian national team hadn’t used all sorts of banned substances at their training camp. While the medics of City were trying to figure out what Mahrez was all over, they had to choose the starting lineup, and Sana was in the attack. Thirteen minutes later, he was injured and was transferred directly to the hospital.
It seems that health problems, significant reshuffles in the Bayern board, and a new coach will affect the club’s plans, but no – purposeful Germans did not think to change anything. A year will pass and Bayern will return to the winger’s discussion. Moreover, the new realities allowed them to buy it at a relatively low price. In July, Bayern eventually finalized the deal and Sane joined the Munich team for €45m plus add-ons.
Sane has always been deemed as a future leader of the Germany national football team as well. When Joachim Low omitted him from the squad at World Cup 2018 in Russia, the coach got a harsh criticism for such a move. If we remember that season Sane was outstanding in City – scoring goals and creating chances for the teammates. Having a German player in the foreign league is not alien to German football, but Sane’s results were so fantastic that even the gambling companies were affected. His influence was seen in Great Britain as well as in his native country where Spinia Germany announced some promotions based on Man City and Sane’s results. They offered choices on how many goals the German scored, as well as assists. And because of that, it was more surprising that Guardiola changed his role, but it was not so unexpected that Bayern decided to work on his transfer.
The mere fact that the Germans have been working on the transfer gives us obvious proof that Leroy Sane is indeed a fantastic player. And the truth is that he has had a big impact on the success of Pep Guardiola’s team, who have been in a bad way without him. Here the fast and gifted German was placed on the left flank, from which he constantly scored and handed out effective passes. Both David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne benefited from his presence.
In 48 matches from the first minutes, the 24-year-old winger has scored or created 45 goals in total. If City hopes to take away the league title from Liverpool, they will have to find an adequate replacement for the player. And Bayern even without Sane managed to win another – eighth in a row – Bundesliga title. Hans-Dieter Flick built a new team, which was able to completely suppress all attempts of rivals to meet in the championship race.
In three years in Guardiola’s team, Sane has become one of the best in his position. Technical and fast, he finds it easy to fool his opponents and get the ball immediately. His other advantage is that he is already familiar with both the league and his future rivals – he played almost 50 matches with Schalke 04.
This season was the first in a long time when Bayern’s flanks did not belong to Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery – instead of the legendary duo on the flanks were Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman. We must not forget the irreplaceable Thomas Muller, who often found himself on the bench.
Flick’s boys prefer the formation 4-2-3-1. The extreme defenders play very high in it and actively participate in the attack. It results in a record number of goals.
What will Leroy Sane do at Bayern?
Gnabry has become one of Bayern’s brightest performers, but Coman is a little behind him. Sane is a stronger performer and will become a direct competitor to the Frenchman, who, according to rumors, may just arrive at City.
Fans and experts fear that Sane will be replaced by the young talent of Alphonso Davies. At City, We recall, Guardiola was very worried that the flank would become too tight, with Sane and Benjamin Mendy – another flank of the attack – playing together only five times in three years. However, there is no need to panic: Davies is likely to go on the attack.
There is only one concern left – the health of Sane himself. New research in Sweden has confirmed that anterior cruciate ligament injury is very likely to recur. The British Journal of Sports Medicine claims that only 65% of footballers affected by such injuries are still at the top level.
We still don’t know if the current Leroy Sane is the same Sane, who became the best young player in England in 2018. But if he does, Bayern will have a performer who will make it truly invincible in Europe. And Sane has everything that can make him a true replacement of Ribery and Robben. We will have to wait for the next season which is set to start late amid the coronavirus disruption, however, Bayern will probably be the favorite for competing on all tournaments.
