Bayern Munich is in desperate need of a center back and has called up Jerome Boateng, but personal issues are holding him back.
The Bavarians had a hole in their defense this summer with the departures of Benjamin Pavard and Luca Hernandez. Kim Min-jae came in, but the lack of additional signings was disappointing. There were holes everywhere in the defense, especially at center back. We had a big name center back in Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano, and Matthijs de Ligt, but for a team that plays a lot of games, if one of them goes out, we’re down to two.
What I feared from the beginning of the season happened. The third option, Licht, went down, leaving only Kim Min-jae and Upamecano. Against Prussia Mönchengladbach, Nusar Mazrawi and Leon Goretzka played in the center back position. Mazrawi is a right back and Goretzka is a midfielder. The situation has gotten so dire that Munich is trying to sign Boateng, who is a free agent.
Boateng is a center back who has made his mark in Munich and Germany. He moved to Munich in the summer of 2011 and anchored the club’s defense for 10 years until the 2020-21 season. He played 363 games for the Bavarians, winning nine Bundesliga titles, five DFB-Pokal titles, and two UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles in 10 seasons. He left Munich for Lyon, where he remained until the 2021-22 season, but injuries and ageing left him disappointed last season and he was eventually released.
After failing to find a new club, Boateng has been called up to fill the center-back depth chart. Germany’s Sky Sports criticized Munich’s move for Boateng, saying it would be “an admission of failure for the summer’s defensive recruitment policy.” While there hasn’t been an official announcement yet, it looks like the deal is close. Boateng was spotted training at the Munich training ground and European soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano tweeted, “Here we go” with his trademark “Boateng returns to Munich on a short-term deal. The deal has been finalized with the completion of the medical and the main part of the negotiations. It will be finalized after confirming the final details.”바카라사이트
There is an unexpected stumbling block. It’s a matter of personal life. Boateng has been on trial for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, and his ex-girlfriend was found dead after she broke up with him. Boateng’s personal life was criticized at the end of his time in Munich, including allegations of domestic violence (physical and verbal abuse).
His guilt or innocence has yet to be determined as the trial has been delayed. If he is found guilty, Munich’s signing of Boateng could be for naught. Ahead of the UCL match against Copenhagen, Thomas Tuchel was asked about the signing of Boateng: “The trial has been postponed, it’s ongoing, and until it’s over, he’s innocent. Munich is a football club and has to make football decisions. Boateng is a player with a lot of merit and he is training with us. Boateng is in Munich and he is improving his fitness. He’s training with us and we’ll see what we decide.”
Tuchel’s interview, in which he invoked the “presumption of innocence,” has been widely reported in Germany. Joshua Kimmich, who played alongside Boateng, said: “It’s great to see him again, we won a lot of titles together,” but added: “It’s not just a matter of whether the players like him or not.”