As it became increasingly clear that Sergio Busquets would leave FC Barcelona at the end of last season, the Catalans identified several players to replace him in the squad. One of the most high-profile of these players was Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich.
Kimmich, now 28 years old, is one of the key parts of the current Bayern Munich team being coached by Thomas Tuchel. The German is comfortable both at the right-back position and in the midfield and has featured for the Bavarians four times already this season.
Kimmich’s substitution
However, Kimmich is increasingly appearing unsettled at the club. The latest evidence in this regard appears in a report from Mundo Deportivo, which mentions how the Bayern Munich coach and Kimmich shared a tense moment in their latest match against Bayer Leverkusen.
At the 60-minute mark, the score was tied at 1-1. At this moment, Tuchel decided to make a double substitution.
The first of these substitutions was Muller, who was replaced by Musiala. With Muller’s exit, Kimmich took the captain’s armband. However, his captaincy was only short-lived as he was the second of the double substitution and also had to leave the field with Muller.
Tension between Kimmich and Tuchel
Kimmich left the field in visible frustration, and Tuchel also approached him to give him his explanations for the substitution, but the midfielder remained unconvinced and sat displeased on the bench.
The player was also asked about his substitution after the match but gave only a short reply: “Ask the coach”. The reply and his expressions after being substituted give clear indications that matters are not the smoothest between Kimmich and Tuchel.
The German still has a contract with Bayern Munich till 2025, but if his relations at Bayern Munich continue to deteriorate, it can open a way for Barcelona to approach the midfielder once again. The Catalans’ hopes of getting Kimmich would have received a fillip with his recent informal comments in which he mentioned Xavi Hernandez as his favorite idol in football.
