Bundesliga

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has said Hansi Flick is the right man to coach Bayern Munich and should be appointed manager at least until the end of the season.

Lewandowski told TVN24 (h/t Goal's Robin Bairner) that the 54-year-old has the right qualities to succeed at the Allianz Arena and deserves the chance to show what he can do with the German champions:

"I believe that Hansi Flick is the right man. He should have a chance to be our coach, at least until the end of the season. We have a good relationship with him, his tactical and footballing knowledge is at a high level and in a short time, he has shown us what we can do to improve our playing and winning."

Flick was appointed boss on an interim basis following Niko Kovac's departure and has guided the club to wins over Olympiacos in the Champions League and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga in his first two games in charge.

Bayern chief executive officer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said he will remain in charge "until at least Christmas" at the club's annual general meeting, per BBC Sport.

Lewandowski has continued to thrive under his new boss. The Poland international has three goals in his last two Bayern outings to maintain his prolific form this season:

Kovac's departure saw Arsene Wenger emerge as the front-runner for the job after Ralf Rangnick ruled himself out of the running, according to Christian Falk and Marcus Christenson at the Guardian.

However, Wenger has since been appointed the new FIFA chief of global football development:

Ajax boss Erik ten Hag has also ruled himself out of the running to replace Kovac. The highly rated coach told reporters he will stay with his club until the end of the season.

Bild reported that Ten Hag remains a Bayern target for next summer along with former boss Pep Guardiola and Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Tuchel:

Lewandowski's backing and Flick's fine start to life as Bayern manager make it likely he will be given the chance to stake a claim to be Kovac's permanent replacement. However, unless he can deliver silverware this season, the club may look elsewhere in summer 2020.

Edmund Stoiber, chairman of Bayern Munich's advisory board, has said the club could go back in for Manchester City's Leroy Sane next year.

Bayern were linked with a move for Sane in the summer that could have exceeded €100 million (£86 million), but a transfer did not materialise after the winger suffered a serious injury.

Stoiber told Sport Bild (h/t Goal):

"There were discussions over Sane. The unfortunate injury and the surgery he required for it broke the deal up.

"We'll see how things develop. As chairman of the advisory board and a member of the supervisory board, I have great faith in the sporting leadership. If they propose a transfer of this magnitude, that is justified."

Sane tore his anterior cruciate ligament playing for City in the Community Shield against Liverpool in August, an injury that has ruled him out for the bulk of this campaign.

By the time he returns to fitness, he'll have little more than a year remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium, which expires in 2021.

The Athletic's Sam Lee reported Sane is not keen to extend his stay at the Premier League club:

Per Sport Bild (ht Goal's Ronan Murphy), his camp have remained in touch with Bayern, too:

Bayern lost veteran wing duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery in the summer when their contracts expired. The former decided to retire, while the latter joined Fiorentina on a free transfer.

Serge Gnabry has impressed for the Bavarian outfit since the start of last season, but Bayern could use another wide man.

Sane, 23, contributed 16 goals and 18 assists in all competitions for City last season.

He didn't start the Carabao Cup or FA Cup finals, though, while in the UEFA Champions League, he featured for just seven minutes across their two-legged quarter-final with Tottenham Hotspur.

With Robben and Ribery gone, he'd likely play a more important role at the Allianz Arena than he does at the Etihad Stadium.

Given he'll be in the final year of his contract next summer, Bayern will also likely be able to agree a lower fee with City than they might have paid this year.  

Eintracht Frankfurt captain David Abraham was sent off in their 1-0 defeat to Freiburg on Sunday after he deliberately barged over manager Christian Streich.

The central defender went to retrieve the ball for a throw-in deep into added time, but he sent 54-year-old Streich to the floor when he crashed into him on the way:

Frankfurt, who had been reduced to 10 men at the end of the first half when Gelson Fernandes was sent off, were chasing the game after Nils Petersen broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 77th minute at the Schwarzwald-Stadion.

Bundesliga commentator James Thorogood condemned Abraham's actions:

The 33-year-old was duly sent off after the resulting melee was brought to a halt.

Freiburg's Vincenzo Grifo, who was on the bench when the incident occurred having been substituted in the 57th minute, was also shown a red card for his part in the aftermath.

Bayer Leverkusen's social media manager, Kara Head, had sympathy for Grifo:

The win sent Freiburg fourth in the Bundesliga, four points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach and level with RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, who occupy second and third, respectively.

Frankfurt are ninth, a further four points back.

Arsene Wenger said Sunday that he has been approached by Bayern Munich to replace Niko Kovac as manager of Bayern Munich but is "not in the running for the job."

The former Arsenal boss spoke to beIN Sports about the possibility of him returning to management with the Bundesliga champions, as shared by Get French Football news:

Kovac left Bayern by mutual consent after a string of disappointing performances culminating in a 5-1 thrashing by Eintracht Frankfurt. Club president Uli Hoeness has said some of the players at the club did not want to play for Kovac any longer, per Christian Falk at Bild:

Wenger had been linked with replacing Kovac in the Bayern hotseat and had spoken about how he planned to hold talks with the Bundesliga side after they had made contact with him:

Massimiliano Allegri, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag have also been linked with the Bayern job in the wake of Kovac's sacking, per Falk and Marcus Christenson at the Guardian.

Bayern have put assistant coach Hansi Flick in temporary charge of the club, and the 54-year-old has impressed in his two games in charge.

Flick has overseen a 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League and a 4-0 Bundesliga victory against Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern chief executive officer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said after Saturday's win over Dortmund that Flick will remain in charge "until further notice," per Reuters (h/t ESPN FC). Rummenigge added "one should assume" Flick will take charge of the team for their next fixture against Fortuna Dusseldorf on November 23.

European football writer Michael Yokhin said Flick is the best option for Bayern:

Flick's two games in charge have yielded maximum points, six goals and two clean sheets and mean the 54-year-old has emerged as the leading contender to be named the club's next permanent manager.

Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre has said Jadon Sancho was substituted in the first half of the team's 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich because he "was not good enough."

Dortmund were well below their best in the contest at the Allianz Arena, with Bayern inspired to victory by Robert Lewandowski's two goals. Sancho started the game but was taken off after just 36 minutes.

Given the England international had missed some training in the buildup to the game, there was an assumption that he had aggravated an injury problem when he was withdrawn. However, the Dortmund boss offered a candid explanation after the game, per Daniel Lewis of Goal.

"He was injured for a couple of days and could not train," he said. "Yesterday he returned to training, but I think you saw he was not good enough today. He was not injured."

Here are the highlights from the clash, which moved Bayern to within one point of Bundesliga leaders Borussia Monchengladbach:

As football writer Zach Lowy relayed, Sancho hasn't enjoyed the most prosperous of spells lately:

Per Stefan Buczko of ESPN FC, the 19-year-old was culpable in the buildup to the opening goal, as he was sloppy in possession and failed to track his man:

Favre was critical of the manner in which his team performed overall, as they missed an opportunity to move to the top of the table.

"I have to say that we were clearly not there," he said. "It was a very, very weak performance. You saw today that it was way too little from us. Way too little."

Favre's frustration is understandable, as he would have seen the game as a chance to earn a win in Munich. After all, Bayern sacked Niko Kovac after the team were hammered 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt in their previous league match.

However, Dortmund were unable to pose the same sorts of issues for the Bayern defence and were wide-open at the other end on numerous occasions. Buczko commented on the side's lack of quality and determination following the forgettable afternoon:

Sancho's poor display and consequent substitution did little to help the team's attacking play, as he so frequently brings a thrust on the flanks and composed decision-making in the final third. It will be intriguing to see whether he's back in the side when club football returns after the international break.

If the winger is fit, he will join up with Gareth Southgate's England squad in the coming days. They are in action in two UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifiers over the international break, with the first against Montenegro at Wembley Stadium on Thursday.

Arsene Wenger said on Friday he has been in touch with Bayern Munich in regard to taking over as manager and plans to hold talks with the Bundesliga champions. 

The former Arsenal boss told beIN Sports (h/t James Whaling at the Mirror) that Bayern have been in touch with him, but he is yet to give the German club a response.

"On Wednesday afternoon, [Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz] Rummenigge called me. I could not answer at that moment and, by politeness, I called him back.

"He was in his car going to the game against Olympiacos. We talked for four to five minutes maximum and he told me they had assigned Flick to be the coach and he will manage the next two games because they play Dortmund tomorrow.

"He asked me if I'd be interested because they are looking for a coach. I told him I didn't have any thoughts about it. It needs some time to have a think about it.

"We decided together we will talk next week because I am in Doha until Tuesday night. This is the true story."

Niko Kovac left Bayern by mutual consent on November 3 after a 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt. Assistant coach Hansi Flick has been put in temporary charge of the club while they search for a permanent replacement.

Flick oversaw a 2-0 win over Olympiakos in the UEFA Champions League in his first game in charge which secured the Bavarians' place in the last 16 of the competition:

Wenger has been linked with the vacant manager's position, although there had been speculation Bayern had turned down the 70-year-old, per Christian Falk at Bild:

However, Wenger's latest comments suggest he is still very much in the running to take over at Bayern and return to management for the first time since leaving Arsenal in 2018 after 22 years at the club.

Ajax boss Erik ten Hag has also been linked with the post but has said he will remain with his club until the end of the season:

Red Bull Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick has also been ruled out by his agent Marc Kosicke. He has said the the 61-year-old is "not available" and will not hold talks with Bayern, per the Guardian's Christian Falk and Marcus Christenson.

Wenger looks to be the frontrunner to replace Kovac. He told beIN Sports (h/t James Olley at the Evening Standard) that he has missed coaching and could be set for a new challenge in Germany.

Arsene Wenger has distanced himself from the vacant managerial position at Bayern Munich, saying he hasn't spoken to the German giants despite speculation he's already held talks with the club. 

Wenger, 70, appeared on beIN Sports (h/t BBC Sport) as a pundit during Bayern's 2-0 UEFA Champions League win over Olympiakos on Wednesday, when he dismissed recent rumours.

The former Arsenal manager said: "I never refuse to talk to Bayern Munich because I know these people who lead the club for 30 years. I was nearly going to Bayern a long, long time ago. At the moment, I haven't talked to them at all. We have not talked to each other, and I don't know [if we will]."

However, Bild (via Jonathan Spencer of the Daily Mail) have reported Wenger called Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to express his interest but was rejected.

Niko Kovac left Bayern by mutual consent after Die Roten suffered a 5-1 humiliation away to his previous club, Eintracht Frankfurt, on Sunday:

Le Professeur has yet to take up another managerial position since he left Arsenal in May 2018, and his last few seasons at the Emirates Stadium somewhat marred his reputation in north London.

Christian Falk and Marcus Christenson of the Guardian recently wrote Wenger is on a shortlist of candidates, which also includes former Juventus chief Massimiliano Allegri and Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.

Ralf Rangnick was also mentioned as a possibility, though Falk since reported the RB Leipzig director refused the job to leave Wenger in the frame:

TZ (h/t Goal's Ronan Murphy) also reported it's possible Der FCB will stick with interim coach Hans-Dieter Flick until the end of this season:

The former Arsenal tactician is also considering a technical role with FIFA, though that job wouldn't prevent the veteran from returning to management as well, per the Press Association (h/t Guardian).

Wenger also described how much he missed football during the broadcast, although he noted there have been some rejuvenating benefits since he stepped away from the sport (h/t Goal):

Defending Bundesliga champions Bayern are fourth in Germany's top flight, four points below leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.    

Arsene Wenger is reportedly the front-runner to succeed Niko Kovac as the manager of Bayern Munich.

The German giants parted ways with Kovac after Saturday's 5-1 hammering at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, and rumours have been rife regarding his replacement.

According to Christian Falk of Bild, Bayern have been turned down by Red Bull's head of sport, Ralf Rangnick, and they will now approach the former Arsenal boss:

Falk and Marcus Christensen wrote in the Guardian that Wenger is the target to take over until the end of the season:

"Bayern, meanwhile, are expected to start negotiations with Wenger this week, with the Frenchman having said on beIN Sports recently that he would be interested in taking over. The Bundesliga club would give Wenger a contract until the end of the season and then explore whether one of their long-term targets, such as Ajax’s Erik ten Hag or Paris St-Germain’s Thomas Tuchel, is available."

It's added that Rangnick's agent said the manager's principles do not align with what Bayern require at the moment, and, as a result, "it makes no sense to hold concrete talks."

Wenger has been working as a pundit with beIN Sports during his time away from the game, having left Arsenal at the end of the 2017-18 season. The Frenchman enjoyed a 22-year spell with the London club, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.

On Tuesday, Wenger was asked about the Bayern job and did not rule himself out:

Get French Football News provided more details as to why Wenger has been away from football for so long:

Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph believes the former Arsenal boss would represent a smart appointment for Bayern:

While Kovac was sacked and struggled to make a major impression at Bayern, Wenger would have plenty to work with if he arrives in Munich.

The Bavarians have a squad packed full of talent in all areas of the field, and they boast arguably the best striker in the world at the moment in Robert Lewandowski. Going into Week 11 of the season, they are four points behind Bundesliga leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.

Bayern are in action in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, and a win over Olympiacos would be enough to secure their passage into the knockout stages. For all his good work at Arsenal, Wenger never lifted the European Cup.  

Former Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni believes his fellow Italian Massimiliano Allegri would be an ideal successor to Niko Kovac as manager of the Bundesliga champions. 

Kovac was sacked on Sunday after Bayern were thrashed 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt, leaving them fourth in the Bundesliga table:

Allegri is available after leaving Juventus in the summer following five consecutive Serie A title wins with the Old Lady.

Toni, who also turned out for Juve in his playing days, said the 52-year-old would be a good choice as Bayern manager, but he does not believe the appointment will happen, per Sport1 (h/t Matt Dorman of Goal): 

"I think Allegri would be the right coach for Bayern. In my opinion, he will not come."

Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag, who coached Bayern's reserves between 2013 and 2015, was linked with the post after Kovac's exit, but he has made it clear he will not leave the Dutch giants this term:

According to Raphael Honigstein of The Athletic, interim coach Hansi Flick will see Bayern through upcoming matches against Olympiacos and Borussia Dortmund before a permanent appointment is made in the international break.

There is only a "slim" chance Jose Mourinho could be appointed, but former RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick is a potential option, Honigstein added.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has also been linked with the job and is available:

Bayern are one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and the new manager will hardly be taking over a sinking ship given they are just four points off the top of the Bundesliga.

It will be vital, though, for Bayern's hierarchy that they make the right choice, as even though Kovac won a domestic double in his short spell in charge, he never seemed a good fit at the Allianz Arena:

Allegri has previous experience of winning titles and also led Juventus to two UEFA Champions League finals, so it is no surprise he is in the running for the Bayern job. 

RB Leipzig have no intention of selling star forward Timo Werner, amid persistent rumours linking the Germany international with Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United.

Sporting director Markus Krosche told Bild (h/t Manchester Evening News' Marcus Banks) the 23-year-old only just extended his contract, and Leipzig don't plan on selling: "Timo just extended his contract with us recently, and we're not thinking about letting him go at all."

Per Kicker (h/t Banks), the contract includes a £27 release clause.

Werner made the surprise decision to extend his contract in August amid persistent rumours he was set to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020. His existing deal would have expired, and like Robert Lewandowski, most assumed the forward would move to Bavaria on a free transfer.

Instead, he put pen to paper on a new deal, ensuring his current club will receive compensation if he does move before its expiration. The release clause is relatively low for a player of his caliber, so a transfer at some point in the near future still seems likely.

Werner has been in outstanding form this season:

A modern striker with a versatile skill set, Werner has been among the best forwards in Germany for years. He joined Leipzig from Stuttgart in 2016 and has bagged double-digit Bundesliga goals for the Red Bulls in every season since.

The Germany international is at his best in the open space, using his athleticism, vision and high football IQ to pop up in the right places at the right time.

Last year's Bundesliga highlight reel shows off the different ways Werner can find the back of the net:

On top of his scoring ability, Werner is a solid passer as well. He has recorded seven assists in consecutive Bundesliga campaigns.

His modern style would make him a fantastic fit at Liverpool, where Jurgen Klopp uses many of the same principles Julian Nagelsmann uses at Leipzig. The Reds have been linked with Werner more than any other English club, but the United rumours have come on strong of late.

Per Banks, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear the Red Devils will invest in a forward, and their need at the position is far greater than Liverpool's.

The £27 million release clause means a transfer could be relatively easy to complete, despite Leipzig's insistence they have no interest in selling.