Five smarter options to fix Bayern Munich's left-wing problem this summer

Forget Leao, Gakpo and Williams: Bayern need to get smarter in the transfer window and find a left-winger that won't break the bank.

The summer transfer window (or whatever we’re calling this period before the Club World Cup) may only be a few days old, but it seems as though Bayern Munich are already panicking. Publicly scolded for their failed attempt to persuade Florian Wirtz to swap Leverkusen for Munich, the Bavarian giants are seemingly now scrambling to put together a coherent shortlist of left-wing options to sign before next season. And some of the names mentioned should worry fans of the Bundesliga giants.

While the club have been linked with typical transfer targets in the German top flight - such as Stuttgart star Nick Woltemade - there have also been a number of outlandish names linked to Bayern that would likely break the bank if the German giants were serious about making a move this summer. Whether it be Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams or AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, Bayern seem intent on throwing money at their problem in a bid to appease public opinion, following their inability to land Wirtz.

This isn’t how Bayern used to do business. Under the previous administration of Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern were famed for being the best-run super club in Europe, often out-thinking and maneuvering their richer rivals on and off the pitch. So much so that Rummenigge was often the voice of reason in European football, speaking out publicly when Juventus signed a 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for €100m, or in response to Paris Saint-Germain’s record-breaking move for Neymar. But that Bayern are now gone and whether it be the €51m spend on João Palhinha, the €67m spend on Matthijs de Ligt or indeed the €95m spent on Harry Kane, it feels as though the club have crossed the Rubicon and have undoubtedly lost their way.

But let’s not write the Munich side off just yet. Nothing has been finalised, no players have been photographed in the Audi showcars and, most importantly, the club haven’t signed any cheques. So before Bayern do go out and splash the cash on a superstar that is bound to never live up to their transfer fee, let’s consider five alternative signings that the club could make this summer to fill that hole on the left wing without breaking the bank.