Ever since the departure of Sergio Busquets from the club, FC Barcelona have been looking to get another competent midfield pivot that can replace the former captain to the best possible degree.
The Catalans have been linked with several players in this regard, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Guido Rodriguez, and Mikel Merino all having been candidates for this position in recent months.
Another player who has long been linked with Barcelona for this position is the Bayern Munich midfielder, Joshua Kimmich, whose future at the Bavarian club is far from certain, and his situation is attracting unnecessary media attention towards himself.
To add further fuel to the fire, a recently released documentary about him has further got the media abuzz, and as SPORT has reported, the former German midfielder and currently one of the leading analysts in Germany, Lothar Matthaus, was highly critical of this situation surrounding the player.
In regards to Kimmich, the German commentator said:
“Something that surprises me about Joshua Kimmich is that I don’t think the documentary about him that is currently airing is appropriate at this time. It’s a distraction, and he keeps getting asked about it. Social media is full of it.”
Matthaus also believed that such a situation could be harmful to Germany in its bid to win the UEFA EURO 2024:
“I don’t understand why they allow something like this to happen during a European Championship when the focus should solely be on football. We had negative experiences in the last two World Cups. This is completely incomprehensible to me, especially when it involves such an experienced and intelligent person like Kimmich.”
There is no doubt that such uncertainty can significantly influence a player’s performance on the pitch, so Matthaus is right to be wary of how it is going to impact Germany in this EURO 2024.
Kimmich’s current contract at Bayern Munich is ending in 2025, and unless there is a renewal or an announcement of a deal with another club, with Barcelona one of the leading pursuers, his situation is going to remain as uncertain as it is today.
