There were satisfied grins on both sides of the deal when Bayern Munich landed Sadio Mane, but just a year on he’s heading for an early exit.
In Liverpool, Mane spoke of a ‘special’ answer to questions over his future, while in Bavaria sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic thought he’d landed the deal of the summer.
Mane looked like a dream fit
Bayern’s bosses were very pleased with themselves
Losing Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona for £35million, the same fee was shipped to Anfield for one of their all-time greats, and there was plenty of confidence it was a smart move.
However, replacing the second top scorer in the history of both Bayern and the Bundesliga proved to be a far bigger challenge than first expected, and one that it looks like Mane won’t do.
The most recent reports out of Germany claim that both the Senegalese and Serge Gnabry have been put up for sale this summer, with Thomas Tuchel calling time on the pair.
Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is instead seen as a far more reliable bet to replicate Lewandowski’s goalscoring, if not Tottenham’s Harry Kane who has long been linked with a move to the Allianz Arena, or even Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku.
But how did we get here? Well, it’s been a long road for Mane and Bayern.
Things got off to a flyer for Mane in Munch with five goals in his first six games, but then came a five-game scoreless run.
His performance in defeat to Augsburg piled the pressure on
Mane’s scoring boots went missing early on at Bayern
That was soon snapped, with Mane continuing to score around the one goal in every other game mark, but the issue was many of them were virtually meaningless.
Scoring largely late on in routs of Bochum, Viktoria Koln, Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg, Bayern then went on a four-game winless run in the Bundesliga, their longest in 20 years.
Mane was singled out for his lack of impact, managing fewer shots than goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in a 1-0 defeat to Augsburg, piling the pressure on manager Julian Nagelsmann, who suggested finishing was the issue.
“With simple one-on-ones we could have used the space well, but we gave away a lot of manpower and played very laissez-faire in the last third,” he said.
Mane’s miss against Dortmund was a big problem
The pressure started to crank up
Asked specifically about Mane’s lack of goals, the manager added: “I’m not talking about individual players now, I’ll do that in the dressing room.”
Looking to get back on track in October, Mane had the perfect chance in Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund, but missed a great chance with his side cruising, and they eventually went on to surrender a 2-0 lead and draw 2-2.
The aftermath saw Mane hammered in the German press, with Sport1 saying: “The man fits into the Bayern team like tofu in white sausage.”
Signalling his inability to excel in the centre forward berth, there were also complaints about him pushing Leroy Sane off of the left wing where he’s most effective, with one columnist questioning: “Nobody says it out loud: Mane for Lewandowski – who actually came up with this nonsense?”
In the proceeding weeks the media were proven right, with Nagelsmann dropping Mane for former Stoke and Paris Saint-Germain striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and reaping instant rewards.
Choupo’s excellent form made Mane’s life even more difficult
Despite playing seven games fewer due to injuries, out-and-out centre forward Choupo-Moting currently has five more goals than Mane and has arguably been Bayern’s best player this season.
So much so that Mane began turning his attention to Senegal, with the World Cup fast approaching.
Disaster then struck when he picked up an injury 13 days before Qatar 2022, and looked set for international heartbreak.
However, BILD claimed Bayern were ‘not happy’ when Mane was included in Senegal’s final squad, while FIFA’s Senegalese secretary general Fatma Samoura said that witch doctors would be used to get him fit in time.
Eventually all efforts fell short, with Mane out of action until late February, but on his return there was more drama.
Putting his country ahead of his injury upset plenty at Bayern
Things then got awkward with the manager
Playing PSG off of the park in the Champions League last 16 to win 3-0 on aggregate, Mane was only afforded eight minutes in the second leg, and media reports claim he ‘complained heavily’ in the dressing room post-match.
His teammates were said to be surprised by Nagelsmann’s ‘intimidated’ reaction, with the coach then starting Mane for the following two games, the second was a defeat to Leverkusen, and the manager was sacked.
That story of dressing room discontent stayed in the media, but when reports of Mane punching Sane hit the headlines weeks later, they were virtually confirmed when he was suspended by Bayern, and Sane was seen with a busted lip.
Sane showed off his busted lip
That incident came early April following a Champions League exit to Manchester City, and since then it’s been widely reported that Mane is now for sale, just a year on from joining.
Tuchel’s appointment and Choupo-Moting’s injury appeared to give Mane a second chance, but with three consecutive starts, BILD say he’s likely to be dropped against Schalke next time out for ‘succeeding in almost nothing’.
There’s no doubt the Liverpool great will have his suitors, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea all linked.
Wherever he goes, it’s hard to imagine things will go as badly as they have in Munich, and we may well see the return of the Premier League icon.
