Weekend Warm-up: Are Bundesliga clubs refusing to do business with Bayern Munich?; Bundesliga predictions; and MORE!

According to SPORT1, FC Bayern is explicitly not among the clubs to which Schlotterbeck can transfer without any issues. A similar situation was already observed last summer: Leverkusen fought tooth and nail to ensure that Florian Wirtz—if he was determined to leave—would under no circumstances end up in Munich.

As a reminder: Reports suggest that the Bayer bosses leaked to the press that the DFB star had traveled to England for exploratory talks. That hurt Bayern enormously.

And in Stuttgart, too, they were ready to take up the fight. The VfB leadership demanded such a high price for Nick Woltemade that Bayern had to give up in frustration. Much to Munich’s annoyance, the forward showed no patience afterward, instead seizing the opportunity to head to Newcastle—even though Bayern’s club president Uli Hoeneß had promised him a spot at Säbener Straße in 2026. So why are clubs refusing to sell to Bayern Munich? Sport1 theorizes that it is because the grass is greener — and the money is better — elsewhere: There is a simple reason why Bundesliga rivals now find it easier to keep their top players from leaving for FC Bayern: financial resources have grown so much—especially in England—that even a club like Newcastle United can afford to pay enormous transfer fees. On top of that, stars like Schlotterbeck and Woltemade are now willing to put up with their current clubs actively making it difficult for them to move to Bayern. Given how this is working out, Bayern Munich is adapting by changing its focus. Instead of chasing German players who could be of international-quality, it is scoping more players abroad: This is a new situation for the Munich club, which (has to) rethink its approach in some areas. The transfer trend is no longer focused on German national team players, but is shifting toward international stars like Luis Díaz or promising young talents from abroad.

It’s also a fact that beating Bayern always gives their German rivals a special sense of satisfaction. It’s unforgettable how Leipzig celebrated signing Xavi Simons in 2024 and, in a relatively open manner, rubbed it in the Munich team’s face. Finally, Bayern Munich’s success could ultimately end up making some German stars want to stay home regardless of what their current clubs prefer: Currently, it looks like the growing self-confidence of their German rivals will continue to cause Bayern Munich headaches, especially since money isn’t getting any less in England. However, Bayern’s sporting success this season could swing the pendulum back: a potential treble win would not only make the record champions more attractive, but also richer. Then the cards will be reshuffled. A fair question to ask is if this strategy by Bundesliga clubs is actually good for the league. This season, Bayern Munich has run away with the league from wire-to-wire and the exodus of good players to foreign leagues seems to have taken a massive bite from the quality of the league. Entering the weekend, only seven teams had more wins than losses and the league itself has been extremely subpar, with an astounding 10 clubs in contention for relegation. This season…the Bundesliga has been a bad league and part of that is because of the willingness to continue to ship talent abroad. This could be the ultimate example of cutting off your nose to spite your face. In the end, the Bundesliga’s viability and sustainability could come further into question if clubs do not figure out a way to retain good players or even sell them domestically — which can result in a trickle down effect of keeping the cash in-country, allowing clubs to re-invest in talent identification and develop to continue on the pathway to financial strength and resilience. If something does not change with the operating models — and revenue streams (which are a whole separate issue) — the future of the Bundesliga could be in jeopardy.

Song of the Week: “American Slang” by The Gaslight Anthem

I felt like I needed something a little lighter than the hard rock and metal I’ve been so into lately, so we went back to 2010 for this forgotten song from The Gaslight Anthem. Enjoy:

Entertainment Rundown

I stayed up way too late a few nights this week, so I banked a couple of episodes…

*The Boys, Season Five — Episodes 1 and 2*

• The show alternately tries to move quickly and then rapidly slow down. The pacing is just way off and does not work.
• Karl Urban’s portrayal of Billy Butcher has sort of gone off the rails. No longer driven by hate and revenge, he is hellbent on eradication and some of the good aspects of the character (humor, timing, etc.) are just no long evident. It is a shame because the character was awesome for 2.5 season, but has just lost its way (thanks to the show’s writing).
• A lot of times, we can visibly see actors who hit the juice for their roles, but the actor who plays Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) might be taking a different kind of spike — maybe of GLP-1 type. The actor is significantly thinner than he ever was on the show. Hopefully, that is the case and he does not have another health issue.
• The Hughey and Starlite relationship feels off as well.
• This will definitely be too politically charged for some folks and for a show built on absurdity, it somehow even stretches those boundaries. All that said,
• Antony Starr is still the absolute best at portraying Homelander. The mixture of ego, hate, insanity, and insecurity is perfectly played by Starr. It is just one of the all-time villain performances in any show.
• Overall, the show has lost its fastball, tries too hard, and really tries to pull on the political emotions of its viewers. Sometimes it works, a lot of times now, it just misses the mark. I will play out the string, but it is not the same snappy, quick, and creative show that it once was. I really don’t want to dislike the show because I remember how good it was in the beginning. Will it every recapture that magic? It seems doubtful. ***Two-episode Rating: 6.75/10.00***

*Invincible, Season Four — Episodes 1 and 2*

• The scenes detailing how Mark and Rudy were just worn out from their “work” were some of the best in the series. It was not complex or anything, but you could feel the weariness and malaise of the two characters, who just are not getting the chance to be kids (or in Mark’s case, a young adult).
• I will say, the scenes with Nolan aka Omni-Man are still the best in the show, with Cecil’s part of the plot a very close second. Having Allen the Alien as part of Nolan’s plot has been really fun.
• I did enjoy the scene with Mark and Oliver messing with Debbie’s boyfriend Paul was pretty good.
• Eve’s struggle with her powers seems kind of forced to be honest, though with the way this show looks to buck the trend of what is normal, maybe things will not end up with things working out for her coming back to full strength when they need her the most.
• Mark is still dealing with guilt from how Season 3 played out. It seems as if PTSD is something that show wants to really dive into, so it would not be shocking to see that storyline continue throughout the season.
• Overall, it was a solid start for a show that has a whole lot going on. I still think it would be the ultimate swerve if Nolan turned back to the Viltrumites and this was all a set up. It won’t happen, but it would be…something. ***Two-episode Rating: 8.00/10.00***

***Podcast Appearanc**e — Magazines and Monsters*

If you are looking for some entertainment, I will be be appearing on an episode of the *Magazines and Monsters Podcast* where we break down the 80s classic, *The Lost Boys*. The links to the episode are here:

• Apple
• Spotify Hosted by one of our great BFW readers and BPW listeners Billy D., also known as “Doc Strange,” (@BiLLYd\_licious on X) the podcast dives into material from the Silver, Bronze, and Copper Ages of comics, often highlighting older or overlooked issues, storylines, and creators. In addition to comics, the show frequently examines classic horror, science fiction, and fantasy films, particularly those from the mid-20th century through the 1980s, including cult favorites and productions from studios like Hammer. Episodes typically feature relaxed, long-form conversations between the host and guests, offering detailed analysis, personal reflections, and enthusiastic appreciation of the topics. I had a blast doing this episode and taking a nice stroll back through the 80s classic.

Predictions

I have no reason for irrational confidence in this game when there could be a lot of rotation, but here we are. Bayern Munich is a machine and sensing blood in the league… ***Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-0 VfB Stuttgart*** Other Bundesliga predictions include:

• St. Pauli 1-2 FC Köln
• Hoffenheim 2-2 Borussia Dortmund
• Union Berlin 1-1 VfL Wolfsburg
• Werder Bremen 1-2 Hamburger SV
• Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 FC Augsburg
• Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3 RB Leipzig
• SC Freiburg 2-0 Heidenheim
• Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 Mainz 05

Prediction Records

• **Total:** 501-322
• **Perfect Picks:** 54
• **Bundesliga Last Matchday:** 6-3
• **Bundesliga Overall:** 145-116
• **DFB-Pokal:** 49-11
• **World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies:** 164-95
• **Champions League:** 99-77
• **Club World Cup:** 39-23
• **Club Friendlies:** 4-0
• **Franz Beckenbauer Supercup:** 1-0 *If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…*

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