Bouna Sarr is considered a transfer flop at FC Bayern Munich and, due to his salary, an expensive shopkeeper. While he often breaks the bank with the record champions, he blossoms at the Africa Cup for Senegal. Even so much so that a win-win situation is looming for the player and also for FCB.
When Bouna Sarr was presented as a new signing at FC Bayern Munich a little over a year and a half ago, many were amazed. A then 28-year-old, at best, solid full-back with no Champions League experience at big FCB? And that for a rumored ten million euros plus a good salary for the next four years? It wasn’t necessarily a “Bayern-like” transfer.
But sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was certain: “He will help us in an important position.” He meant that in an intense season with a mammoth program as the reigning CL winner and in times of the coronavirus pandemic Benjamin Pavard on the right side, Sarr would not dispute the regular position, but would at least be able to act as a solid temporary assistant.
After all, it was also Hansi Flick who put Sarr on FC Bayern’s radar in the first place. At least that’s what the player himself said in an interview RMC Sports there. Accordingly, he convinced Flick of himself in a test match between FC Bayern and Sarr’s then club Olympique Marseille: “I played quite well. Your coach appreciated my performance and told me he wanted to get me.”
Because Bayern quickly had problems on the defensive, Sarr quickly got his chances of probation. But he was no longer able to confirm the good impression he had made on Flick in that test match. Sarr even slipped behind regular central defender Niklas Süle in the right-back hierarchy over the course of the season. Flick’s change of coach to Julian Nagelsmann didn’t improve his situation either. On the contrary.
Sarr at Bayern also under Nagelsmann permanent reservist
Because Nagelsmann relied on young talent Josip Stanisic despite another Pavard failure. Sarr was only in the starting XI once this season: in the first round of the DFB Cup against Bremer SV. In total, he only played 226 minutes this season. “He’s struggling to get his performance stable on the pitch,” criticized Nagelsmann. The now 29-year-old got the stamp as a transfer flop at the latest.
The interview he gave in December was all the more astonishing L’Equipe gave. There he said that despite everything, he was not thinking of saying goodbye to FC Bayern, and that he would only sit down with those responsible in June to take stock. He also gave his critics an explanation for his sometimes very poor performance in his Bayern time so far. “What people don’t know is that I played with my teeth clenched. My knee hurt, I took anti-inflammatories before every game,” Sarr said.
In addition, the Senegalese international, who was born in France but newly crowned in October 2021, announced great deeds. He will “use the Africa Cup in January 2022 to show what I’m capable of”.
And because he is currently keeping this “promise”, his “oath of allegiance” to Bayern could actually change again in the winter.
Sarr hailed as “the best full-back on the continent”.
So far, Sarr has been on the pitch for every 270 minutes of the tournament for Senegal, sometimes convincing as a right-back and sometimes in an unusually offensive role as a winger. When the Senegalese Football Association asked via TwitterThe users praised enthusiastically whether its users agreed that Sarr’s performance in the tournament was described as “extraordinary”. Sarr was even described as “the best right-back on the continent”.
The good performances are said to have attracted the interest of some big-name clubs, including AS Roma and Lille. As sports1 reported, there are now inquiries, but no concrete offers. However, Sarr wants to close the Bavaria chapter by the summer at the latest. Fears that the expensive slow seller (annual salary of around 2.5 million) could simply sit out his well-paid contract until 2024 would then have disappeared.
If Sarr continues to write such positive headlines, Bayern’s transfer minus would probably be limited. Sarr has the next opportunity to do so on Tuesday when he meets Senegal in the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations (5 p.m., all Africa games are there LIVE at sportdigital.de)
Bouna Sarr: performance data and statistics at FC Bayern
| season |
games |
minutes of use |
| 2020/21 |
15 |
810 |
| 2021/22 |
10 |
226 |
