Sadio Mane’s move to Bundesliga champions FC Bayern was one of the first deals to emerge this summer and, now that the move has been confirmed, the Senegalese star is itching to get started.
“I’m really happy to be at FC Bayern in Munich,” he said. “It’s the right time for this challenge. I want to achieve a lot for this club, in Europe too. During my time at Salzburg I watched a lot of Bayern games – I really like this club.”
He’s sure to make plenty of Bundesliga 2022 highlightsin the coming months and Bayern president Herbert Hainer is convinced Mane can lift the Bavarian club to even greater heights.
“Sadio Mane is a global star, who underlines the appeal of FC Bayern and will increase the attractiveness of the Bundesliga as a whole,” he said. “Fans come to the stadiums to see such unique players. It’s great that our board have managed to sign a player like Sadio Mane.”
Bayern are getting a player who has got fans on their feet for years with his electric pace, brilliant finishing, mesmerising dribbling and tactical genius. He scores goals with both feet and is a clever header of the ball, finding space in the most congested of penalty areas.
Mane’s Premier League record with the Reds was nothing short of sensational, scoring 120 goals from 269 competitive appearances as part of a front three, comprising Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. He has also scored 31 goals in 89 games for Senegal and lifted the African Cup on Nations in 2021, after being named African Player of the Year in 2019.
Not everyone has praised the player’s move though.
Former Liverpool forward Dean Saunders, now a pundit in England, said the striker was ‘ruining the best two years of his career’ and suggested he would find it too easy in the German league, comments which drew stinging criticism from Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke who retorted: “There are always some arrogant idiots like this one! As a member of the board of Europe’s club association ECA, I know that German football still has a good reputation.”
To be fair to Watzke, who also pointed out that no English clubs won a European competition this year while Eintracht Frankfurt lifted the Europa League, Saunders may not be in the best place to speak on matters of elite football. The Welsh winger picked up just one FA Cup winners medal and one League Cup winners medal in his two decades as a player in England.
Back to Mane, he can play in a speedy front three, as he did at Liverpool, and the choice for head coach Julian Nagelsmann is who to play alongside him.
Bayern still aren’t budging on their asking price for Robert Lewandowski, holding out for 75M Euros which is way above Barcelona’s present offer at 40M Euros plus add-ons. But nobody wants an unhappy player in the dressing room so we can assume Lewi is unlikely to feature.
And there are rumours circulating that another of Bayern’s top strikers might be on his way out. Serge Gnabry has emerged a surprise target for Manchester City who are facing the loss of Raheem Sterling and will see Gnabry as a perfect replacement.
The Germany star has scored 20 goals in 34 appearances for his country and 45 in 122 games for Die Bayern, but he has, so far, refused to sign a new deal with the club who have offered him a wage of £200k a week. The champions are keen to keep the striker who has just one year left on his contract, but they will be tempted to cash in if he refuses to sign, and a fee of around £35m would be well in reach for the English champions.
If Gnabry and Lewandowski make their exits then France winger Kingsley Coman and former Manchester City star Leroy Sane could make up a fleet of foot front three alongside Mane.
The Bundesliga 2022 betting oddsare backing Bayern to win an 11th successive title and Mane will be at the forefront of Nagelsmann’s plans.
Meanwhile…back at Anfield, the gap left by Mane in Liverpool’s front three has been filled by summer recruit Darwin Nunez. And reports have just emerged from Merseyside that Mo Salah has signed a deal to stay at the club for another three seasons.
The SBOTOPodds on the Premier League title reckon Liverpool will push Manchester City close for the 2022/23 title, and it remains to be seen whether the decision to sell Mane turns out to be a good call…or a mistake.
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