After six years: Bayern closes the costly Nübel chapter | OneFootball

When FC Bayern confirmed the signing of Alexander Nübel on a free transfer in the summer of 2020, the record champions were hoping for a coup. And they were hoping to have secured Manuel Neuer’s potential successor early on. 

Six years later, the Nübel chapter at FC Bayern is coming to an end. During that time, the goalkeeper played only a minor role for the record champions. He made just four competitive appearances for FCB.

Nübel spent two years on loan at AS Monaco and another three at VfB Stuttgart. And despite strong performances—which even earned him a spot on the DFB squad—no loan club signed him permanently.

Now comes the move to Besiktas. This time, it’s not on loan—which is the best news for FC Bayern. However, there’s still some buzz about a compensation payment, since Nübel will earn less at his future employer than he did in Munich.

Nübel and Bayern: Misunderstandings Galore

From the very beginning, there were disagreements surrounding Nübel’s situation. As early as his first year, there were heated debates over an alleged promise regarding his playing time at FC Bayern.

At the time, a conflict arose between Hasan Salihamidzic and head coach Hansi Flick, who stated in no uncertain terms that he picks the team and no one can tell him otherwise.

Photo: IMAGO

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. During his loan stints, FC Bayern never presented Nübel with a clear plan for the future. Reportedly, communication between the two sides was also not regular. Nevertheless, the goalkeeper never made a clear attempt to continue his career elsewhere.

There was also no particularly close relationship between Neuer and Nübel, even though both have a history with Schalke. On the contrary, it was actually always the case that Nübel had to be patient until Neuer made way or agreed to sit out games.

That happened most recently, but it was for Jonas Urbig, who has since moved to Munich and is now being groomed as Neuer’s successor.

The interim contract extension with the goalkeeper merely postponed the final decision on his future and did not open up any new prospects at FC Bayern.

High salary payments influence the assessment

The deal itself also needs to be examined more closely. Although Nübel—who was highly talented at the time—was available on a free transfer, Bayern paid a hefty signing bonus for the player and guaranteed him a very good salary in the double-digit millions.

To make matters worse: During his loan spells, the record champions consistently paid a substantial portion of the goalkeeper’s salary. The financial burden thus remained, even while the player was gaining playing time elsewhere.

The fact that he developed into a national team player during his loan spells, yet was never viewed by FC Bayern as the go-to option for the future, is also a factor that plays a role in the overall assessment. The Nübel situation was, from start to finish, one thing above all else: unfortunate.

Therefore, the best news for everyone involved is that this chapter is finally over. Nübel can now try to make his mark as the number one goalkeeper at Besiktas, and the record champions have one less item on their to-do list. There’s no question, however, that this deal was certainly one of the worse ones in recent years.