With Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso set to retire this summer, Bundesliga behemoth Bayern Munich will be facing two massive holes in its first team.
Such is the nature of a career with a finite shelf life, and despite boasting one of Europe’s deepest sides, coming to terms with the fact that the pair of World Cup winners are irreplaceable is the first step toward mitigating disaster.
The next is to assess the talent within the squad before dipping into the transfer market, and considering some of the names on Carlo Ancelotti’s teamsheet and others struggling for first-team minutes, there’s plenty to choose from.
Here’s a look at how Bayern could alleviate the absences of Lahm and Alonso with players already on the books:
Philipp Lahm
Nevermind the fact that Lahm is the club’s captain and its longest-serving player, the 33-year-old is also the most versatile. Initially a left-back, Lahm has since honed his talents at both right-back and as a defensive midfielder, meaning his exit leaves the Bavarian giant with a few areas of concern.
Joshua Kimmich
After replacing Lahm in Joachim Low’s Germany side in 2014, Kimmich’s succession of his Die Mannschaft mate makes loads of sense. Like Lahm, Kimmich can play both at right-back and in a midfield role similar to Alonso’s. The 22-year-old sounds discontent with his periphery gig with the defending Bundesliga champ thus far.
“I’m not happy about it; it is not satisfactory and also not my ambition,” Kimmich told Bild in March. “The coach knows that I can play as a defensive midfielder and right-back, and as a central defender. From that, he has many options to play me.”
By the looks of it, if Kimmich wants the right-back spot, it’s his.
Rafinha
No stranger to filling Lahm’s shoes after doing so during the 2013-14 season when Pep Guardiola shuffled his deck. A traditional right-back, the Brazilian is just two years younger than Lahm, and with a contract set to expire in 2018, its impossible to say what the future holds for Rafinha. A temporary fix is available to Ancelotti in the form of the twice-capped Canarinho, though.
Sebastian Rudy
Currently with Julian Nagelsmann’s surprise Hoffenheim side, Sebastian Rudy, 27, put pen to paper on a four-year deal with Bayern in January. Like Lahm, Rudy can play both in the midfield and at right-back, and has done so for both club and country, though the Stuttgart product has featured on the backline just twice this season.
Xabi Alonso
Technically brilliant, Alonso has quietly gone about being the midfield metronome at the Allianz Arena. This season, Ancelotti has played both a 4-1-4-1, where Alonso sits alone in a deep-lying position, and a 4-2-3-1, where the Spaniard often teams with Arturo Vidal.
Renato Sanches
When Bayern snatched Portuguese Euro 2016 winner Renato Sanches out from under the noses of Europe’s other powers in May 2016, many pegged the teenager to star immediately at the Allianz. A year later, Sanches has started just five Bundesliga matches, though his first-team minutes are certain to increase next year.
Still just 19, the sky is the limit for Sanches, and a partnership next season with Vidal seems likely, especially after club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admitted as much, saying, “We hope Renato Sanches follows in Alonso’s footsteps – that’s why we signed him. He has all the necessary qualities, but we will have to be patient with him.”
Thiago Alcantara
After two injury-riddled campaigns, Guardiola-signing Thiago is showing his virtues this season, and has arguably been the club’s best player. Vaunted praise for the Spaniard who is capable of playing anywhere in the midfield, and like Alonso, has a knack for threading a perfectly weighted pass. Ancelotti’s fifth-most used player this season, Thiago’s versatility could see him pair with Vidal or Javi Martinez in a two-man midfield.
Kimmich / Ruby
As mentioned above, both Kimmich and Ruby can play in a defensive midfield role, and the latter has already formed a tandem with Alonso this season on several occasions. While Rudy is certain for some first-team exposure next season, Kimmich seems the most likely to play a part in Bayern’s first-team plans next season.