In the summer, Bayern Munich loaned out Josip Stanišić to Bayer Leverkusen in what appeared to be a peculiar deal from the Rekordmeister. With a lack of depth at right-back and in central defence, largely due to the sale of Benjamin Pavard, Stanišić would have been the ideal solution for Thomas Tuchel.
As well as this, halfway through the campaign, as Stanišić struggled for game time under Xabi Alonso, Bayern found themselves in desperate need of defensive reinforcement. Regardless, with the African Cup of Nations on the horizon, Leverkusen understood how pivotal a role Stanišić would play, despite the Munich native commenting on his frustration.
Nevertheless, as the AFCON rolled around, Stanišić’s role under Alonso became significant, even scoring against Der Rekordmeister in a 3-0 win at the BayArena. Since the turn of the year, Stanišić has only failed to feature once for the Werkself, but a return to the soon-to-be champions does not appear to be on the horizon.
With his future deemed to be back in Munich by those at the Säbener Straße, it is no surprise that Stanišić would have hoped to reunite with Alonso. However, the Spaniard recently committed his future to Leverkusen, as he looks to build upon this season’s success.
Speaking to Sport1, Stanišić revealed his personal disappointment in Alonso’s decision: “Well, I’m happy that he’s happy here. Of course, it’s a bit of a shame for me. Maybe I was hoping for a different outcome.”
With the situation still unclear as to who will be the next Bayern head coach, the role Stanišić will play for Bayern next season is still unknown. Nonetheless, with his positive performances for Leverkusen this season, there is no reason as to why he cannot be a key figure for the record champions next season.
GGFN | Will Shopland
