The Bavarians have been buoyed by the arrival of the England striker, but uncertainty abounds at the Allianz Arena right now
When Harry Kane signed a four-year contract with Bayern Munich this summer, he was assumed to be the centre of a project that would thrive in Europe for an extended period. The team around him was full of international stars.
Alphonso Davies, Canada captain, was at left-back. Joshua Kimmich, Germany stalwart, played in the middle. Matthijs de Ligt, Holland's next great centre-back, anchored the defence. Sprinkle in Manuel Neuer, Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala for good measure and the Bavarians had a team ready to compete for it all.
So far, things are trending the right way. Bayern are strong all over the pitch, while Kane could – and likely will – break the Bundesliga single-season goalscoring record. Bayer Leverkusen may be top of the table, but Bayern are perfectly placed to pounce should Xabi Alonso's side slip up.
However, there are issues behind the scenes. Contract uncertainty has thrown the Bayern careers of Davies, De Ligt and Kimmich into jeopardy, with all three potentially facing exits within the next 18 months. Manager Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, has been unable to get the best out of a handful of potentially valuable attacking players. It all amounts to a team on tenterhooks, in danger of falling apart around Kane, the summer signing that was supposed to propel it to the next level.
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This whole thing can be traced back to March 2023. The Bavarians weren't exactly struggling under the tutelage of then-manager Julian Nagelsmann. But they weren't thriving, either. Dortmund, at the time, were top of the league, while a misfiring Bayern squad couldn't quite piece together a valuable run. In the end, the inconsistency cost Nagelsmann his job, the groovy, skateboard-riding German sent packing on a rather inconspicuous Thursday night – just over a fortnight before a Champions League knockout game.
Of course, Nagelsmann hadn't been helped by some of Bayern's most high-profile players. Thomas Muller was his usual vocal self, while Manuel Neuer, not long removed from a season-ending broken leg, lambasted the Bavarian setup in an interview with in January of last year.
Then, there was the Sadio Mane situation. The club's marquee signing of the summer of 2022 was known for his good nature and calm at Liverpool, but became an agent of chaos in Germany. First, he was involved in a heavy argument with Nagelsmann after limited playing time against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Then, he reportedly punched Sane in the dressing room after a heavy loss to Manchester City.
Tuchel had taken charge by that point and seemed a shrewd replacement. The manager had ended his three previous jobs – Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea – in poor circumstances. But he was also a stern man-manager, who could grasp a divided locker room. And he made things work, bringing Bayern the title.
However, their Bundesliga triumph owed much to Dortmund's final-day collapse – and it did little to heal the deep fractures at the club.
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Both CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic lost their jobs within hours of the Bavarians clinching the league title on the final day. In the ensuing weeks, it was revealed that all contract negotiations had been put on hold. Davies, already linked with a move away, saw discussions shelved. It was the same story with Kimmich and, even more worryingly, Musiala, a future star who needed to be locked down.
Kahn and Salihamidzic may have overseen a turbulent season, but they still had the valuable trust of both the squad and the agents who oversaw them. Negotiations had been difficult for Davies, while Musiala wasn't easy to appease. But the duo figured to be able to get things done. Instead, everything came to standstill.
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Kimmich was the first to see his place put under pressure. Kane was Bayern's marquee summer singing, but Tuchel had ambitions to improve the squad elsewhere. Defensive midfield was targeted as a key area. It made little sense, especially given the presence of Kimmich, a world-class No.6, who could also play at full-back. Still, Tuchel saw the versatile German as a weakness, while outside voices also piled on. German legend Lothar Matthaus's assessment was perhaps the most damaging. "Not only is he no longer as present on the pitch, he is also no longer as present after the game. He hides," he said.
Consequently, Tuchel pursued Joao Pahlinha, a player in a different mould to Kimmich, notably stronger in the areas in which the German was falling short. The Fulham man made the most tackles in the Premier League, 147, in 2022-23, besting second-placed Moises Caicedo by 47.
Kimmich was increasingly a finesse player, a ghostly presence. Tuchel wanted a hard-nosed destroyer. Pahlinha was that man. The move ended up falling apart on deadline day last summer, Pahlinha flying all the way to Munich, undergoing media duties, and doing everything short of putting pen to paper before being sent home when Fulham couldn't sign a viable replacement in time.
While Kimmich has still been a regular this year, it's obvious that the 28-year-old, once viewed as the crowning jewel of German football's 1995 class, is now expendable. Transfer rumours have since emerged, with the defensive midfielder linked with a move to fill the still-vacant role left by Sergio Busquets in Barcelona. And although being linked to Catalunya is hardly a novel concept for a footballer of any age, there is a real sense that he could depart.
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Davies finds himself in a similar situation, albeit more of his own making. The left-back's agent has publicly speculated about a move to Real Madrid for months now, while the player himself has done admittedly little to distance him from that claim.
The wing-back's assist numbers have returned to their usual levels after a difficult 2022-23 campaign. But he has struggled at the other end of the pitch, and still looks well short of the player that proved instrumental in Bayern's sextuple-winning season in 2020.
Madrid, meanwhile, have reportedly encouraged Davies to shy away from penning a new deal, and are eager to see him run down a contract set to expire in 2025. Los Blancos aren't exactly short at left-back, but view Davies as part of a fruitful summer, in which they will also target Kylian Mbappe.
Bayern have denied those rumours but are still wary of a potential departure.
"There has been speculation for a long time. Phonzy has a contract with us until 2025. I am convinced that he really enjoys playing for FC Bayern. We would really like him to stay at Bayern longer. We will have talks,” sporting director Christoph Freund told .