Munich's 'killing machine', not Kim Min-jae, is his 'best friend'
There's a change in the Bayern Munich (GER) defense. Kim Min-Jae, 27, is still in a precarious position, but at least he's not the target this time.
Sky Sports Germany reported on June 26 that "Munich have put Leverkusen central defender Jonathan Tah on their list. They will sign Tah this summer. Tah is the fastest defender in the Bundesliga at the moment." Florian Platenberg, a journalist familiar with Munich news, adds credence to the report, saying, "The move for Tah is being led by Munich president Max Eberle."
Ta is a central defender who led Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title in history this season. At 6-foot-5, he's taller than Kim Min-jae, but he's also very fast. He recently earned a call-up to the German national soccer team.
Currently, Munich has four central defensive options: Kim Min-Jae, Dayo Upamecano, Eric Dier, and Matthijs de Ligt. Of these four, Dier and De Ligt are the starters, while Kim and Upamecano are often pushed to the bench.
This means that when a hit comes in, one of Kim or Upamecano is likely to be out. Luckily, it appears that it's not Kim Min-jae, but his "best friend" Upamecano. Platenberg said, "In order to bring in another player, we need to sell an existing 사설토토 player. Upamecano is a candidate."
By putting Upamecano on the list, it's safe to assume that Munich is making it more clear that they want to part ways with him. Upamecano, like Tata, is classified as a similar type of defender to Tata, with his speed and excellent physicality (5-foot-9, 186 pounds). Selling Upamecano, who is out of competition, would not be a bad move for Munich, as they would have another player of his type.
The same can be said for Kim Min-jae, who is also in a precarious position. Several big league clubs are interested in him. However, Kim has expressed his desire to stay in Munich and compete for a starting role. In fact, it"s more a matter of tactical changes than talent.
With Tuchel's successor yet to be named and talk of Tuchel's reappointment, it's unclear which way Kim's competition for the starting job will go.
While the arrival of another player is not a good thing in terms of competition, there are some positives for Kim. For one thing, his style is similar to Upamecano's, so he could work surprisingly well with Kim. Tah played for Leverkusen, who play a three-back, so it might be a bit of an adjustment for him to come to Munich, who play a four-back. Kim Min-Jae may not have much competition.