DFB jewel as Süle successor?

I guess no one has him on their list

Created: 02/13/2022, 12:59 p.m

By: Alexander Kaindl

Does Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic have his eye on the next young star?

© Ulmer Press Photo Agency / Imago

FC Bayern is looking for a successor to Niklas Süle.

Will the Munich team find what they are looking for in a Bundesliga club?

Munich – Niklas Süle moves to Borussia Dortmund!

It has been clear for weeks that the central defender will leave FC Bayern Munich.

But no one saw a transfer to the - at least on paper - biggest rival in the Bundesliga.

There has been certainty for a few days now: FCB will lose the next top central defender after David Alaba and Jerome Boateng without receiving a fee.

And BVB can look forward to one of the best German defensive players.

Meanwhile, the Bayern casting for a new central defender is underway.

Because there is no transfer fee for Süle, the focus when looking for a successor is of course also on players whose contract expires in June 2022.

There are quite a few of them, also on an international level.

Would you like an example?

Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen (both Chelsea FC) or Matthias Ginter.

All three names have recently been repeatedly associated with Bayern.

But apparently none of them ended up on Säbener Straße in the end!

According to various media reports, the salary demands of the two Chelsea stars are said to be too high, with Ginter, according to

, the "unanimous conviction" of the Bayern bosses is missing.

So who will be the Süle replacement?

FC Bayern Munich: Successor to Niklas Süle - DFB jewel with outsider chances?

There are other central defenders from the Bundesliga who would be free transfers in the summer.

But if Matthias Ginter - world champion, Confederation Cup winner, DFB Cup winner and seasoned German national player (46 appearances) - obviously does not have the necessary format, who should then follow in Süle's footsteps?

A name has not yet been associated with Bayern at all.

He delivers amazing performances in the Bundesliga: Amos Pieper.

Of course, it is very unlikely that the big Bavarians will actually use the rather tranquil Bielefeld.

But: Pieper delivers - for years!

The central defender was trained as a junior at Borussia Dortmund, where he became German B and A youth champions.

In winter 2019 he finally switched to Arminia, quickly became a regular player and was one of the top performers in the second division championship in 2020. Pieper was also one of the best in East Westphalia in his first season in the German football upper house, and then won the U21 with Germany in June 2021 European Championship and just a few weeks later took part in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo with “Team D”.

Pieper has been a cornerstone of Bielefeld again since the start of the current season.

He already knows how to score in the Allianz Arena: Amos Pieper made it 2-0 for Bielefeld in the memorable snow game against FC Bayern.

In the end it was 3:3.

© Pool photo / Imago

Amos Pieper: Bielefeld defender delivers consistently - does Bayern have him on the list?

In the ranking of the players with the most duels won, the 24-year-old is in 23rd place in the league. Pieper has won 199 duels up to the 22nd matchday.

Only five central defenders are better: Josko Gvardiol (Leipzig, 242), Nico Schlotterbeck (Freiburg, 227), Maxence Lacroix (Wolfsburg, 224), Konstantinos Mavropanos (Stuttgart, 210) and Evan Ndicka (Frankfurt, 207).

Pieper is even better in terms of quota: With 65.6 percent of duels won, he is in eighth place in the league.

The leader is - how could it be otherwise - Niklas Süle.

He has won 67.9 percent of his duels.

Pieper's advantage over the even better duels: Bielefeld is available for free and would probably also be a real bargain in terms of salary.

Bayern Süle are said to have offered around ten million euros a year for a contract extension.

This budget is now said to be earmarked for a replacement - a sum that would not cost Pieper by far.

It is ruled out that he will extend his contract in Bielefeld.

The U21 European champions had already been linked to RB Leipzig in the summer and autumn.

Transfer news from FC Bayern Munich: Süle replacement wanted

So maybe the people of Munich have the Westphalian on their list after all?

Coach Julian Nagelsmann is a fan of developing young players.

And after all, nobody expected Süle to be transferred to Dortmund.

Perhaps sports director Hasan Salihamidzic will actually conjure up a solution that nobody would have expected.