1 month ago
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Set for Saudi
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Kingsley Coman had been linked with a move away from Bayern Munich for some time and on Friday the departure was finally confirmed, when the French winger completed a move to Saudi club Al-Nassr. Al-Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest star, reportedly agreed a transfer fee with Bayern in the region of €30 million, including bonuses. Coman is set to sign a three-year contract worth between €20-25m a year. A deal in that category would make Coman one of the ten most expensive outgoing transfers in Bayern's history.
“We’d like to thank Kingsley Coman from the bottom of our hearts for a uniquely successful time together,“ said Max Eberl, Bayern board member for sport. “He earned an eternal place in the club’s history with his goal in the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. King will always be part of Bayern, and we wish him all the best for his new challenge.”
The transfer concludes a transfer saga that started one year ago. Last summer, Coman was already heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League. Al-Hilal were very interested, but Coman vetoed a transfer away from Bayern. The French winger then scored nine goals and provided six assists in 45 games across all competitions. But injuries were once again an issue as Coman averaged just 46 minutes a game. As a result, his market value dropped once again, this time from €50m to €30m. This then led to rumours in the early spring that both sides were looking to go their separate ways. To accelerate a transfer, Bayern dropped last year’s price tag of €70m to €30m.
“I said I would like to stay,” Coman said at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States this summer. “My contract runs for two more years. In football, the rule is that if you are under contract and you are happy where you are, you are going to stay.” Coman also emphasized his excellent relationship with head coach Vincent Kompany. “The coach always said that he needs me, I need you to be fit, you are important for the squad.” Kompany underlined those statements. “Kingsley always plays an important role in my squad,” Kompany said.
Coman to Al-Nassr: Why were Bayern Munich desperate to sell?
With that in mind, why were Bayern Munich desperate to sell the winger? The biggest reason is Coman’s salary, which was reportedly €17-18m a season. Eberl was given the clear task by the Bayern bosses to improve the squad, but also bring down the wage bill. Salaries at the Bundesliga giant escalated under the previous regime led by former CEO Oliver Kahn and director of sport Hasan Salihamidzic. Eberl was forced to allow Leroy Sané to leave on a free transfer to Galatasaray as the German national team player was on a significant salary at the club. Indeed, Bayern’s wage bill started to escalate after the club signed Sané ahead of the 2020/21 season.
The question is what Bayern Munich will do with the transfer fee and Coman’s wages. Bayern recently signed left-winger Luis Díaz from Liverpool in a deal worth €70m. With Coman gone, the only other left-winger in the squad, other than Díaz, is Serge Gnabry. But Kompany also hopes to use Gnabry as a backup no.9 should Harry Kane go down with an injury. Indeed, Bayern’s attack is going to be quite thin after Coman’s departure. After all, Bayern will be without Jamal Musiala for the foreseeable future. The playmaker got hurt at the Club World Cup and will miss the first half of the season. Kompany has given significant playing time to talents Lennart Karl (17) and Wisdom Mike (16) in the preseason. But it would be a tall order for either one to fill in the gap left by Coman. As a result, Bayern will likely make another attempt to sign Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart, who they will face in the Franz-Beckenbauer-Cup this upcoming Saturday.
As for Al-Nassr, the Saudi club remains without a major title despite having signed Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2023. That is now supposed to change under new head coach Jorge Jesus and more transfers of top stars from Europe. The club has already signed João Félix for €30m from Chelsea and will also add center-back Iñigo Martínez on a free transfer from Barcelona. Coman, in the meantime, will reunite with former teammate Sadio Mané. Al-Nassr signed Mané in a deal worth €30m from Bayern Munich in 2023. The winger joined the Saudi club after he joined Bayern from Liverpool the previous year. Like Coman, Mané was on a big contract, and his departure to Saudi Arabia after a poor year at Bayern helped the Bundesliga side to bring down spending.
