The arrival of Sadio Mané with his entourage at Munich Airport already documented that it is also a transfer with special appeal for FC Bayern. The new star of the Bundesliga came to Germany in a private plane. A red sedan picked Mané up on the tarmac to drive him into town for a medical check-up.
After the expected thumbs up from the Bayern doctors, the transfer of the Africa Cup winners from Senegal agreed by the German champions with FC Liverpool could finally be completed. Mané will sign a high-paying contract in Munich until 2025. The transfer fee is reportedly 32 million euros. It could increase to 41 million with certain additional services.
In accordance with its special importance, Mané should also be presented to the public quickly – in the Munich Arena. Just like the Colombian James Rodriguez once did. Or Philippe Coutinho. Or Bavaria’s 80 million euro record transfer Lucas Hernández 2019.
After all, Mané’s signing is a special signal from Bayern – both internally and externally. The transfer is the bravura piece for the often critically eyed sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. He could also give the Bayern leadership around CEO Oliver Kahn scope in the explosive personnel Robert Lewandowski. A move away from Kahn’s “Basta” to a premature farewell to the world footballer in the summer could probably be conveyed better after the Mané coup.
Mané could play the prominent goal delivery service for Lewandowski in the future. Above all, however, it should trigger a performance boost in the entire Munich ensemble. His access gives top players like Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich the certainty that they can continue to play for all titles with FC Bayern. “The club has always put together a good squad in recent years. We’ve always had a top team,” said captain Neuer recently with the national team.
Mané’s arrival in the prominent Munich offensive acts primarily as a means of exerting pressure on other aces such as Leroy Sané or Serge Gnabry. Sané only ignited sporadically in his first two Bayern seasons. And for national player Gnabry, there is a free transfer in 2023. Bayern are now prepared early on here.
The explosive thoroughbred striker Mané offers coach Julian Nagelsmann a wide range of options. The professional, who is only 1.75 meters tall and has matured into a world-class striker under coach Jürgen Klopp in Liverpool, can occupy all positions up front, right, left and centre.
Mané is also a winner type. With Liverpool he became the Champions League winner and English champion. Mane scores goals. And he prepares goals. Incidentally, he already knows the Munich Arena: three years ago he made the Bayern fans, who will be able to cheer for him there every week, suffer in the stands when he scored twice for Liverpool FC and his team to make it 3-1 in Munich thus led to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The European Cup is the stage on which Mané is supposed to inspire Bayern. With him, coach Nagelsmann can set fresh points in the team. Uli Hoeneß had already addressed this need in the spring: “I heard that the atmosphere in the team is very good – maybe too good.” There is “too little friction”, the honorary president suspected.
