Bayern Munich chief rules out signing backup for Harry Kane

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·15 December 2024

Bayern Munich chief rules out signing backup for Harry Kane

Bayern’s first loss of the Bundesliga season against Mainz and their recent topsy-turvy form have raised several eyebrows regarding their attacking threat with the absence of start-striker Harry Kane. In the five games the English international has missed so far owing to a thigh injury, Bayern have lost twice and drew once.

A common trend in all these games has been the lack of clinicality and decisiveness in the final third. While Die Roten manage to create a decent number of chances and always surpass their opponents in terms of Expected Goals, they struggle to put the ball in the back of the net, as was the case yesterday against Mainz.

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This situation further fuelled rumors regarding Bayern looking to sign a backup striker in the January transfer window. Speaking to BILD, Bayern Sporting Director Max Eberl quickly dismissed the possibility of such a transfer.

"No. We have a deep squad that has the quality to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves. FC Bayern is not a money printer. It’s true that we have great [financial] numbers, but that’s because we always think economically. We don’t say now we’re missing one player so we will spend sum x. And strikers cost money."- Max Eberl

Eberl was referring to the impressive revenue figures that Bayern recently revealed in the 2024 General Meeting. A record turnover of €1.017 billion along with a debt-free balance sheet was announced for the 2023/24 season. But as Max Eberl claims, it was a result of being economical with transfer decisions, and therefore they can’t immediately sign a pricey striker just to fill a backup position.

Eberl pleased with how team has done well in the absence of Kane

When further asked if the team could score goals without talisman Harry Kane, Eberl backed the team and suggested the Mainz game was an exception. The Sporting Director told Bild that the team has coped well until now in the absence of Kane.

"In a game like today, you could say he would have done us good. But we still have enough quality to be able to score goals even without Harry. We’ve shown that in the past few weeks."- Max Eberl

Bayern Munich have managed to score 11 goals across the five games in which Harry Kane has been unavailable this season. The only game in which they went goalless was their 0–1 DFB Pokal elimination to Bayer Leverkusen. However, it’s important to note that Bayern’s issue in that match wasn’t the absence of Kane, but the fact they played with ten men from the 17th minute.

In their clash with Dortmund, Bayern dominated nearly all attacking metrics but were forced to settle for a draw. With Kane leading the line, things could have turned out differently. Against Mainz, Bayern registered just a single shot on target, and Thomas Müller, who has been filling in as a makeshift striker, continues to struggle in the role.

Bayern continue to keep tabs on Ligue 1 striker for a potential summer move

While a January striker signing has been officially ruled out, Bayern may look to get one in the 2025 summer transfer window. The club is reportedly interested in Jonathan David of Lille, with the Canadian striker set to be out of contract next season. This could present a lucrative opportunity for Bayern, who will be looking to bring in a forward to share the attacking workload with Harry Kane.

Harry Kane is set to be back in action for Bayern in their upcoming Bundesliga game against RB Leipzig on 20th December.