In January 2022, the German goalkeeper Alexander Shvolov set a record for the number of saves in a Bundesliga match: 12. However, at the start of the 2022/23 season, the record fell and Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Jan Sommer became its new owner, who made no less than 19 saves. Then the incredible game of the Swiss did not allow Bayern to win (1: 1), but from January 2023 Sommer’s task will change, because he moved to the Bayern Munich camp. Where did Neuer go? Why Sommer the hegemon of the Bundesliga? Who benefited from this? We have found answers to these and other questions.
Why is Bayern?
Bayern have one of the most stable goalkeepers in the world, Manuel Neuer, but lately there have been problems with his condition. He survived a bout of cancer, barely recovered from a serious injury, but in early December misfortune overtook him again: he broke his leg at a ski resort on vacation, which is why he was out for the rest of the year. it’s from the season.
Neuer’s backup option in recent years has been Sven Ulreich, but he could hardly be called an equivalent replacement for Neuer, and even on the eve of the Champions League, in which Bayern will play PSG. And precisely for this reason, strengthening the goalkeeper position was the main objective of the Bayern leaders. Several names appeared in the media: Dominik Livakovic, Diogo Costa, Guglielmo Vicario and even Emiliano Martínez were associated with the Munich team, but they chose a different candidate.
Jan Sommer, who has played for Borussia Mönchenglabhsch since 2014, has finally been promoted, albeit at the age of 34. He cannot be called super stable and one of the best goalkeepers in the world, because often his crazy matches are replaced by childish mistakes at important moments. The same goes for the game on the treadmill, where even this season there are some goalkeepers showing better results, but Jan has some trump cards that many other contenders cannot boast of.
It’s all about Sommer’s style and special abilities, thanks to which, with a stretch, he can be called an analogue of Neuer. And here they are:
1. Sommer is excellent with his feet, which is incredibly important in the system of Julian Nagelsmann, who preaches modern football with the active participation of the goalkeeper.
2. The next point builds on the previous point: Sommer understands and knows how to play with a high defense line. Obviously, it’s hard to find a goalkeeper equal to Neuer in terms of aggressive play outside the box, but Sommer isn’t much worse in this component.
3. He knows the internal kitchen of the Bundesliga perfectly, he speaks German, which is also important for the team, where a few foreigners dilute the purely German squad.
Given the age of Neuer, who turns 37 in March, and the arrival of a major goalkeeping competitor, one would think that Manuel’s era is coming to an end, but it is not. In fact, Sommer never had the experience of playing for a top-tier team, because Borussia Mönchengladbach and Switzerland cannot be called that, which means there is a risk that Jan will not bear all the responsibility. Also, among the minuses, he can add his small height – 183 cm, which will greatly complicate the task of the team with the standards at its gates, Bayern will have to adapt.
Are there clear winners in this deal?
Bayern got a quality replacement for Neuer by signing just a two-year contract with the newcomer (meaning no risk), but it wasn’t just the buyer who benefited from this transfer.
Once again, one could shout that the Bavarians are robbing a rival club, but this is not the case at all. In fact, Bayern saved Monchengladbach from losing money, because there is no doubt that Sommer would not have signed a new contract, and the previous one ended this summer. “Borussia” out of nowhere got 8 + 2 million euros, which is not bad for a 34-year-old goalkeeper.
Well, Sommer will finally have a chance at a top club, and also, for sure, he will finally win a couple of “cups”, which will be the first of his German stage in his career.
In this transfer, all sides won.
