Bayern Munich was in a tough spot.
The Bavarians are banged up, sick, and were working on a quick turnaround against an FC Köln side that was motivated and energetic in front of its home crowd. After a choppy start, the Bavarians rallied together and stormed back to a 3-1 victory on the road.
It was not a picturesque effort, but it was a hard-fought win that — once again — showed the team’s grit and resilience. Here are some quick hitters on the match:
As much as Manchester City wants Crystal Palace center-back Marc Guéhi, it is not going to overspend to get him this month:
Manchester City are preparing to make an offer for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi this month, according to TalkSPORT. While the Premier League champions are said to be unwilling to meet Palace’s £35m asking price, a bid of some kind may go through before the January window slams shut. Guéhi, 25, is set to become a free agent at the end of the season and has been heavily linked with the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich in recent months. The defender is said to be “relaxed” about the prospect of seeing out his contract at Palace.
Guéhi’s alleged preference to play for Bayern Munich could create quite a stir this summer — if it is true. As a free agent, he will likely have quite a few clubs angling to bring him in.
There were rumors floating that Borussia Dortmund right-back Julian Ryerson was on Liverpool’s radar, but those appear to be unfounded:
🚨🔎 Understand Liverpool are urgently searching for a replacement for Conor #Bradley, who will be out for several months with a knee injury.
Various options are being assessed for the current transfer window.
❌ Been told that Julian Ryerson is currently not a candidate for #LFC. #BVB
@SkySportDE
🏴
Al Ittihad midfielder N’Golo Kanté is close to making a move to Fenerbahçe:
Al Ittihad midfielder N’Golo Kanté is “very close” to agreeing terms with Fenerbahçe following a positive meeting with the club, Fabrizio Romano reports. The French international is set to be out of contract this summer, after three seasons in the Saudi Pro League. As per Romano, negotiations between Al-Ittihad and Fenerbahçe over a transfer fee are ongoing, as the Saudi side do not want to lose Kanté on a free.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta cannot wait to get a fully healthy Kai Havertz back:
❤️🤍 Arteta: “I was just watching Kai Havertz move and his awareness, the way he needs to move, when he needs to move, in relation to what he moves.”
“We miss him big time. He’s back with us and now we need to maintain his fitness because he’s a very important player for us.”
Noted pundit Didi Hamann says that Arsenal will win the Premier League.
“My Premier League top four is Arsenal first, Chelsea second, Man City third and Liverpool fourth. I think Chelsea can go on a run and win six or seven on the spin, but I’m not sure it will be enough to catch Arsenal. Arsenal got away with the three points against Wolves, but they do need to start scoring goals in open play,” Hamann told JeffBet. “It’s a long season, and there will come a time in February or March, and if Arsenal still have a gap at the top, the pressure will ramp up because it will be their title to lose. A lot can happen. Guardiola is probably holding Rodri back at the moment, he would be a huge boost to Man City’s title challenge, but we’ll have to see if he comes back the same player he was before.”
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…