How Bishop and Palhinha could be connected
The midfield of the German record champions is superbly staffed, especially since the transfer of Tom Bischof. Five players for two positions. It cannot be ruled out that one of these five players will be released after the Club World Cup.
Competing for a position in central midfield: Tom Bischof and Joao Palhinha. imago images (2)
Georg Holzner reports on FC Bayern from the Club World Cup in Orlando, Florida
Upon arriving in Orlando, national player Tom Bischof went straight to the official presentation at the Four Seasons Hotel on the Walt Disney World grounds. The 21-year-old sat on the podium with sporting director Christoph Freund and spoke about his move, his ambitions, and his arrival at FC Bayern.
Bischof's anticipation of what was to come was evident. "I've had an outstanding start," he said. "I'm really enjoying myself here." The first training session, interacting with his teammates. The most important thing now is "to settle into the team and play great games." He explains that he's been a "fan of FC Bayern" his "whole life," and now he's "extremely excited to be able to experience everything here."
Five players for two positionsBischof says he feels most comfortable in the center of midfield, whether "at number six or number eight—that's where I see myself." Two positions for which there are already four other players: Joshua Kimmich , Leon Goretzka , Aleksander Pavlovic , and Joao Palhinha . It can't be ruled out that something else could happen during the summer transfer window—after the Club World Cup. In terms of departures, that is.
Bayern would be willing to talk about Goretzka, provided an interested party comes forward with suitable terms. However, Goretzka, who has a year left on his contract, doesn't want to leave; he definitely wants to stay in Munich. Another potential buyer could be Palhinha. While the Portuguese would like to make it big at the German record champions, he also knows how the business works sometimes.
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"It wasn't an easy situation for him; a lot of things came together, including injuries. Joao didn't play as much as he'd hoped; he obviously had different expectations," says sporting director Freund. "But we'll discuss everything with him calmly." With that, Freund leaves the 29-year-old's future open for now. With the confident Tom Bischof, Palhinha now has additional competition.
