Why Tottenham need to take advantage of the confusion at Bayern Munich
It is nearing the end of the summer transfer window and teams are scrambling to get the last bit of transfer business done before the start of the season.
The window shuts down at midnight on August 9th, as the new rules state that the transfer dealings should be complete before the start of the season. If you have been following the transfer window closely, especially the rumors surrounding Tottenham Hotspurs, then you surely know about the confusion in their midfield.
Tottenham's boss Pochettino wants to let go of Moussa Dembele and wants to add more steel in the middle of the park. The name that has been closely linked with them is Geoffrey Kondogbia.
The Kondogbia situation
Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy has decided to play hardball with Valencia for the French international midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia in a bid to lower his asking price. Valencia quoted a hefty fee in the region of £70 million, and the hardball tactics are understandable from Levy's point of view.
But Levy has missed the plot with that deal as Kondogbia is in no rush to leave Valencia and he will not drop in a transfer request for a move to the Spurs. The midfielder still has four years left on his deal at Valencia, and the club are in no hurry to sell him either.
As more days go by, it is looking highly likely that Spurs will have to part with that huge sum to secure the services of Kondogbia, or stick with Dembele for the upcoming season as well.
They have not given themselves enough time to pursue another target and lay the groundwork for his transfer as there is only a week left before the window closes. In this tense situation, Levy might have an answer in the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich.
The confusion at Bayern Munich
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have one of the best squads in the world. 'Best' in terms of not only the quality of the players but also the depth at each position.
They have such glorious depth in their squad that even a player like Arturo Vidal cannot find himself an assured starting spot.
Here is a list of the current midfielders in the first team at Bayern - Arturo Vidal, Javi Martinez, Leon Goretzka, Thiago Alcantara, Sebastien Rudy, James Rodriguez and Corentin Tolisso.
In the formation that Niko Kovac uses, he has place for only two holding midfielders whereas Bayern have six choices for that position. The arrival of Goretzka has pushed Vidal further down the pecking order; moreover, Vidal's age has not come to his aid in the discussion among the Bayern's board of directors.
Bayern need to sell midfielders and Tottenham are in desperate need of midfielders. Pochettino would be wise to add a player like Vidal to his ranks as he would surely improve the midfielder - and Spurs would have finally found a replacement for Luka Modric.
The current situation at Bayern should allow Spurs to get their target at a cheap rate as well. But will Pochettino take advantage of the situation?