In German football, there is a natural order to things. The best German football players end up playing for Die Roten, Bayern Munich. That’s it. That’s the order.
It was a problem for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp during his Dortmund days, when he saw his best players poached off him—often on free transfers—by his biggest domestic rival. Although Dortmund were able to reach great heights under Klopp, his success there was always unsustainable because of this dynamic.
However, Klopp might just get one over on his old rivals if he can successfully complete the transfer of Timo Werner to Merseyside. Werner has been openly flirting with Liverpool for months, and his most recent public comments can only be seen as an outright rejection of Bayern’s advances.
“It’s just that the challenge of another league would appeal to me a little more than a move within the Bundesliga,” Werner said.
His comment went down as well as you would expect with Bayern brass. Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge even felt the need to respond in the publication Bild.
“I am actually amazed at nothing,” Rummenigge said, “but I have never seen a player make such a statement in response to public rumors.”
Salty.
Bayern Munich are not used to this sort of treatment from the top German stars, and certainly not in such a public forum. It is also potentially good news for Liverpool, with a move for Werner seemingly still on the cards.
Of course, the matters of “when?” and “how?” any transfers will be completed are still up in the air. For now, we can at least appreciate the whining coming out of Munich.