Will Ancelotti Bring in some English Talent?

Bayern Munich have recently been linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur’s attacking midfielder Dele Alli in the summer. The club are already in talks about tying down Kingsley Coman on a permanent deal at the Allianz arena, and Alli would represent another exciting prospect as Carlo Ancelotti seeks to bolster his squad with fresh, young talent.

It certainly would be an interesting move for the German giants who have only ever had one other English player in their ranks before, but the new manager has never been shy to admit his love for the English game.

Alli Rumours

Since joining Spurs from MK Dons two seasons ago, Alli has come on leaps and bounds under the management of Mauricio Pochettino. The £5 million that the Lilywhites paid for the 20-year-old in 2015 is now looking like one of the best bargains in football history, as the Englishman is quickly asserting himself up there with the most dangerous attackers in the Premier League.

After 24 games, Alli has claimed 13 goals and 3 assists in the top flight, already bettering his output of 10 goals in the last campaign. As such, he has been involved with 33.9% of Spurs’ goals and he's an integral component of their prolific attack. With Chelsea storming ahead at the top of the table the title looks out of reach this season, but it could be argued that Alli and company have formed a side that are the best of the chasing pack. It would seem pointless to bet on Spurs to win the title at this stage, but a punt on Alli to claim the PFA Player of the Year trophy could be a shrewd bet. Seeing as the odds of him winning are around 20/1 at the time of writing, it could be wise to use an offer such as the free bet up to £50 from Coral.

Alli’s performances and his habit of scoring crucial goals have earned him worldwide recognition, and a number of elite clubs could be scrambling for his signature when the transfer window opens. Along with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona are rumoured to have been sniffing around the player. Alli is considered to be one of the most tantalising prospects to come out of the UK since Gareth Bale, and the Welshman commanded an enormous transfer fee when Madrid coaxed him to the Santiago Bernabeu. Spurs are well aware of the interest surrounding one of their most treasured team members, and for that reason last summer tied him down to White Hart Lane until 2022.

With all these things considered, the youngster could end up fetching a huge transfer fee should anyone come in for him. But with many good years still ahead of him, whoever manages to swoop for Alli will benefit greatly in the long run.

A Double Swoop for the Spurs Duo?

Alli might not be the only English player on his way to the Bundesliga. There are other rumours circulating that Bayern and other huge clubs could be lining up bids for his teammate Harry Kane. There is often a lot of paper talk when players are doing well, but there is no doubt that Kane’s performances and lethal finishing have put him on the radar of the European elite.

After starting the season typically slowly and then getting injured in October, Kane’s odds for the Golden Boot dropped to as long as 40/1. He had only scored two goals before missing five league matches, and didn’t return to the fold until Spurs’ eleventh league game against Arsenal. Since then he has bagged 17 league goals, including two hat-tricks and four braces. Kane is now the odds-on favourite to top the scoring charts for a second season running, ahead of Romelu Lukaku, Diego Costa, and Alexis Sanchez. His ferocity and explosiveness in front of goal make it hard to see anyone catching up with his goal tally.

Bayern Munich already have one of the world’s best strikers in Robert Lewandowski who has also scored 19 this season, but to pair him with Kane would add another element to the attack, and represents a mouth-watering prospect.

Kane is reportedly earning over £100,000-a-week with Spurs after they secured a new deal with him until 2022. The 23-year-old seems to enjoy being the main man at White Hart Lane and will be loyal to the manager who gave him his shot at the big time. As with Alli, it would take a whopping offer to prise Kane away from Spurs at this time, but similarly to the midfielder it would definitely be worth it. Lewandoski is 28 years old and still has a good few years left in him, but Kane could be a great option to carry on from the Polish international.

Owen Hargreaves at Bayern

Bayern fans are likely to be taking these rumours with a pinch of salt seeing as how only one other Englishman has ever played for the German giants.

Owen Hargreaves began his professional footballing career with Bayern, meaning that the Bavarian club have never signed an English player who had previously played in the English football league. He was an integral part of the squad at the Allianz Arena between 2000 and 2007, putting in 145 league appearances for the club and scoring 5 goals in the process. His strength was in the holding midfield role, tirelessly working to win the ball back from the opposition and set up teammates.

Hargreaves perhaps fit in so well at Bayern because he had played in the German system from a young age and that was what he was familiar with. It may be more difficult for players moving from the Premier League to the Bundesliga. Swooping for Kane and Alli while they are still young could be key.

Ancelotti’s favourite English Players

Although Bayern tend not to employ Englishman, their new manager is no stranger to the English game and rates a number of English players highly. Ancelotti spent two seasons at Stamford Bridge managing Chelsea before he was cruelly sacked for failing to win the Champions League. He has often talked about how much he enjoyed his time there and his love for the English game. He has also spoken about an all-star team made up of the players he has managed in the past.

In the super XI the Italian chose two English players from his time at Chelsea; John Terry and Frank Lampard (see video above). This is interesting because Alli has often been compared to Lampard, and both players have a similarly aggressive goal-getting style. Both players loved running into the box and going for glory, as well as providing for teammates with neat through balls and excellent vision. If Ancelotti rated Lampard so highly, he is almost certainly going to want to sign the player who could one day become as big of a legend as the former Chelsea star.

Bayern have the funds to be able to force these deals through if they want them enough, but history suggests it is still quite unlikely to happen. However, if Ancelotti does decide to move for these extremely talented youngsters it would be an intriguing change to the club’s usual policy on English players and could spark an exciting period for Bayern in the Bundesliga.

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