Sadio Mané’s departure from Liverpool, and his transfer to Bayern Munich, mark the end of an era, as one of the Premier League’s most destructive attacking trios of all time is dismantled. Since joining Liverpool in 2016, Mané has been a near unstoppable force alongside Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Although Liverpool have recruited well, bringing in other skillful attackers in the shape of Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, there’s no doubt that the departure of Mané will affect their Premier League winner odds at skybet.com.
However, all good things must come to an end, and the Senegalese attacker will be looking forward to settling into life at his new home. Mané arrives at the German giants with their attacking line-up in some degree of flux. Robert Lewandowski has left, signed by Barcelona, while Serge Gnabry’s future was in some uncertainty before he put pen to paper on a new deal, tying him down until 2026.
It’s been a summer of considerable incomings for Bayern, with Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch joining from Ajax, while a deal has been done for Matthijs de Ligt’s transfer from Juventus. However, aside from Joshua Zirkzee’s return from his loan to Anderlecht, nothing else has been in attack.
How Will Sadio Mané Fit in at Bayern Munich?
While they could move for a signing shortly before the window closes, many have been left wondering how Sadio Mané will fit into the Munich machine next season. There’s no doubt that keeping Gnabry was an important step for Julian Nagelsmann’s side — the departure of Gnabry and Lewandowski in the same summer, arguably the club’s star attackers, would have been very damaging.
Towards the end of Mané’s time at Liverpool, he often found himself playing through the middle, rotating with Roberto Firmino. The departure of Robert Lewandowski opens up a natural hole in the centre of the attack, and this could be where the new arrival slots into the side.
With Gnabry and Leroy Sané likely to operate from wider areas, the pair can play as more traditional wingers, or they can play an inverted role, coming in from the wide areas to attack the goal on their stronger foot. This is likely to be how Bayern would line up with Mané playing centrally.
The Senegalese forward isn’t the same physical presence that Lewandowski was, but his movement, ability in tight spaces, and creative thinking could see him become a real danger for opposing defences. He could alternate between offering a threat in behind and dropping away from the centre of defence, into deeper areas of the pitch.
This would cause a real problem for opposing teams. If their defenders follow Mané then they’ll leave space in behind that the likes of Sané and Gnabry would be able to attack. On the other hand, if they don’t stay with him, Mané would get time on the ball in the final third and, from central areas, he certainly has the creativity to punish opposing teams.
In addition, the likes of Kingsley Coman, a creative dribbler, and Alphonso Davies, able to play as either an attacking left-back, or as an out-and-out winger, only add to Nagelsmann’s options in how he builds his team around his new arrival.
Many beyond the Bayern fanbase will be looking on with curiosity to see how the German tactician remodels his attack following the departure of Lewandowski and the arrival of Mané. One thing is without question: however he uses his new attacking import, it’s sure to be exciting.
