“They’re a great club.”
Things haven’t exactly turned out too badly for Leon Goretzka since making the move to Bayern Munich. Two Bundesliga titles, a couple of German cups and a Champions League winners’ medal is a fine return for his two-and-a-half seasons in Bavaria, and justifies why he opted to make such a difficult move in the first place.
When news of his decision to leave Schalke for Bayern on a free transfer broke midway through the 2017/2018 season, it was met with hostility from the Gelsenkirchen club’s supporters. Goretzka would remain with Schalke for the rest of that season, but supporters made it abundantly clear throughout that time what they thought of his choice of next club.
A move elsewhere would have made for a smoother departure from Schalke, and Goretzka clearly had plenty of admirers. Amongst them were Liverpool, who, at one stage, seemed his most likely destination. Now, in an interview with Raphael Honigstein in The Athletic, the midfielder has revealed he gave serious consideration towards making the move to Anfield, with the chance to work with Jurgen Klopp an attractive prospect.
“They were a consideration, of course,” Goretzka says. “They’re a great club, and their development since Kloppo came has been amazing. We’re all a little proud of him winning the title.”
Despite the temptation, the pull of Bayern was too great, and the 25-year-old opted to remain in his homeland.
“I took a long time making my decision, and I was 100 per cent sure that Bayern was the right move for me.”
Whereas Liverpool have enjoyed a period of success of their own in the time since Goretzka left Schalke, it’s difficult to argue that he made the wrong call.
He and his Bayern teammates will continue the the defence of their European crown when they face Lazio in the last 16 stages of the Champions League in the spring.
