“Bayern Munich would have signed Alphonso Davies last summer if we could” – Niko Kovac
Canadian winger Alphonso Davies is set to join Bayern Munich on a five-year contract in January, but such is the 18-year old’s talent, coach Niko Kovac would have loved to have been be able sign him six months earlier.
Bayern’s most productive wide men this season have been Arjen Robben and Serge Gnabry with three goals apiece, and while the level in MLS may be step behind the Bundesliga, Davies has nonetheless matched the more experienced pair’s tallies over the same period.
Kovac would have welcomed him into the fold as another option, but the choice wasn’t his.
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Whilst USA striker Josh Sargent opted to play for Werder Bremen’s reserves for six months before signing senior professional terms on his 18th birthday last February, his fellow North American chose to remain with Vancouver Whitecaps until the new year.
“If the season in the US lasted until summer, then Davies would have come to us then,” he said at Friday’s pre-match press conference ahead of Bayern’s match with Nuremberg.
With Robben’s thigh leaving him doubtful for the Bavarian derby, and Davies not yet on board, Kovac could be tempted to start with Kingsley Coman, who is making a tentative return from an ankle injury.
“He came back against Bremen, if not for too long [Coman played the final 33 minutes of last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Werder]. He was pretty tired in the days after that, but he gives us a different quality, and can help us in ways that others can’t.”