Will Benjamin Pavard stay longer than expected at Bayern Munich? The Frenchman, who is actually dissatisfied with his role, could be about to turn around!
München – Benjamin Pavard (26) stays longer than expected FC Bayern Munich? The Frenchman, who is actually dissatisfied with his role, could possibly be about to turn around!
Will Benjamin Pavard (26) stay at Bayern Munich? © Sven Hoppe/dpa
In recent months, the defender has increasingly thought about leaving the Bavarian capital. In an interview with the French sports newspaper L’Equipe last November, Pavard clearly stated: “Maybe now is the time. Why not discover a new country, a new culture.”
The decisive factor was a noticeable and, above all, persistent dissatisfaction with the way it was used by the series champion.
The Frenchman sees himself in central defence, but in the competition with Dayot Upamecano (24), Lucas Hernández (27) and Matthijs de Ligt (23) in a chain of four, he has no good prospects of moving from the right side of defense to the center – if the competitors do are ready for use accordingly.
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Due to the resulting resentment, there were major disagreements with trainer Julian Nagelsmann (35), his coaching team and also the other people in charge at Munich.
The supposed only way out? An exit after this season to get value for defensive specialists and avoid a financially painful free transfer exit. Pavard still has a contract until the summer of 2024. Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic (45) and Co. would then look into the tube.
Bayern: Tactical change and injury to teammate play Benjamin Pavard in the cards
Benjamin Pavard (26) benefits from a tactical change by coach Julian Nagelsmann (35, left) at FC Bayern Munich. © Thomas Frey/dpa
Recently, there seemed to be no shortage of interested parties either. With Inter Milan, a top Italian club knocked on Bayern’s door in the run-up to the World Cup in Qatar, and FC Barcelona was also associated with the 2018 world champion.
According to a report by the Italian Corriere dello Sport, the tide now seems to be turning.
Accordingly, Pavard should now be open to a contract extension on Säbener Straße. Appropriately, chief reporter Tobias Altschäffl reported in the “Bayern Insider” podcast that the 26-year-old and the Reds’ management level are said to have spoken out in the meantime.
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On the pitch, meanwhile, he benefits from his coach’s tactical move to rely on a back three with three central defenders and two rail players instead of a four-man defense.
The cruciate ligament rupture of his compatriot Hernández, who will be out for a long time due to the serious injury, also plays into Pavard’s cards with a view to his own position in the structure.
If the next few weeks and months continue to be so positive, an extension does indeed seem quite possible.
So far, the Frenchman, who was born in 2019 for 35 million euros VfB Stuttgart after München could be piloted, for the record champions across all competitions in 147 games on the field. He scored nine goals in these and was able to prepare twelve goals for his team. In the current season there are four goals and one assist in 29 games.