The January transfer window in Germany is rarely about blockbuster deals and more about teams in the thick of the Abstiegskampf (relegation fight) shoring things up to enhance their prospects of achieving the Klassenverbleib (preserving their status). However, this season it’s instructive to peruse the upper end of the table and the very different manoeuvrings of the current top two.
Bayern Munich‘s priority is more the medium- and long term than the here and now, and the club’s sporting CEO Max Eberl faces the unenviable task of making sure key players out of contract this summer (or next) commit their futures to the Rekordmeister without breaking the internal wage structure.
Front and centre is Joshua Kimmich, who turns 30 next week and who Eberl sees as the face of Bayern for several more years. Traditionally, Kimmich is the sort of player the club has succeeded in keeping for life.
With a new Arbeitspapier (work paper) needed at the end of this season, though, will he actually sign on the dotted line? The negotiations have resembled something of a chess game for months.
Meanwhile, the signals around Alphonso Davies, whose contract is also up at the end of the campaign, appear much more positive with both sides having effectively verbally agreed on the key details and the Canada international coming to the realisation that his prospects are best served remaining in Munich. Similarly, Bayern don’t especially wish to have to start again in looking for a new left-back. Until the new deal is signed, though, no one is taking anything for granted.
Then we come to Jamal Musiala. There, Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund have a bit more time on their side with the 21-year-old’s contract running until summer 2026. Musiala has been at pains to point out he’s happy at Bayern, but there are still details to be cleared up, likely early next month.
Ultimately, all three players must feel sure that Bayern will continue to be a good, fitting home for their ambitions. That means remaining a force in the UEFA Champions League and not falling behind the other leading clubs in the world.
It’s hard to avoid the feeling that the three separate discussions are somehow interconnected. If one domino falls, it could impact the others. Bayern are counting on Eberl cannily threading a narrow needle.
Bayer Leverkusen find themselves in a different position. They know that Jonathan Tah‘s aspirations lie elsewhere next season, but Florian Wirtz is contracted until 2027 and his father and advisor Hans may agree to extend that by another year if an acceptable release clause is inserted.
There is less of a sense that this is a potentially sticky period for the club on the contracts front, and the developments of this week looked exciting for Bayer 04.
Al Nassr‘s interest in signing Victor Boniface for a transfer fee of more than €60 million, and the Nigeria international’s apparent willingness to entertain the prospect, opened considerable doors and allowed wiggle room for sporting director Simon Rolfes. While an undoubtedly dangerous striker, Boniface has been notoriously injury prone, on the casualty list until last week, and right now is second choice behind Patrik Schick, who’s in the form of his life.
Kovač, incidentally, will officially take charge on Sunday, so interim coach Mike Tullberg will stay put at the helm in Heidenheim on Saturday. The Berlin-born former Croatia international has been out of football since his dismissal by VfL Wolfsburg 10 months ago.
Trialling in-stadium VAR announcements
If you’re watching the Bundesliga or the 2. Bundesliga this weekend, be ready for something new and different. As part of a pilot project aimed at greater transparency, referees at five different venues on Saturday and Sunday will announce certain big decisions to fans via microphone.
These will be restricted to VAR decisions after visits to the review area or verdicts relayed via the Kölner Keller (the video assist centre in Cologne). The announcements, in German, will also be picked up on the Bundesliga’s international broadcasts.
Referees were given guidance on form and content at their recent winter gathering in Portugal. The idea is to keep statements concise and focus on: explaining which incident was reviewed, the result of the review and then making the appropriate signal.
It’s difficult to see it as anything other than a positive for fans who pay to attend games yet are often completely in the dark when it comes to knowing what exactly has been awarded or taken away and why.
2. Bundesliga sets new attendance record
If there were any lingering doubts about the appeal of the 2. Bundesliga as the beating heart of all second tiers, look no further than last week, when a new record attendance was recorded.
The nine matches attracted 322,468 spectators at an average of 33,983 per game. Topping the list was the 71,500 for Hertha Berlin-Hamburg at the Olympiastadion, followed by 61,955 at Schalke-Nürnberg.
