How Leroy Sane's electrifying form can fuel Bayern’s European dreams
Leroy Sane is off to his best ever start to a season. With a rating of 8.53, he is also WhoScored’s best rated player in Europe’s top five leagues so far this season.
Sane appears to have finally found his feet at the club, and looks like the player Bayern always hoped he would be when they signed him after a long pursuit in 2020. He always showed glimpses of his quality, but the German International is now consistently producing the kind of world-class performances that he has always been capable of.
But you cannot look at Sane’s performances without factoring in the impact of new signing Harry Kane. Manager Thomas Tuchel had hoped that the England captain would make “everyone better”, but his impact on Sane has been extraordinary.
Kane’s versatility to both pin the centre backs and drop deeper has allowed the Schalke youth product to exploit spaces left in behind - just like Son Heung-Min did with great success at Tottenham. The pair have now linked up to produce seven goals between them in the Bundesliga this season, which is the most by teammates in the top five European leagues.
Leroy Sane’s Transfer Value (xTV) - how much is he worth?
According to FootballTransfer’s player valuation model, Sane has a current Expected Transfer Value (xTV) of €42.9 million. His value peaked at €75 million in 2022 but saw a gradual decline due him closing in on the final 18 months of his contract.
Jurgen Klopp has his countryman at the top of the list to replace an ageing Mohamed Salah, and is willing to spend big to bring Sane back to the Premier League. Other teams will also be closely monitoring his situation, but Bayern will surely do everything possible to tie their star man down to a new long term deal.
Leroy Sane’s strengths and weaknesses - what does the data say?
Sane has never scored more than eight goals in a Bundesliga season, but he equalled that figure after just 11 games this season. The former Manchester City winger has also contributed six assists, but his impact on the team goes beyond just getting goals and assists.
Of all the players in the Bundesliga this season, the 27-year old ranks first for touches in the final third and successful take-ons, second for key passes, and third for shots and carries into the penalty area.
And his numbers look even more impressive when compared to last season and show a remarkable improvement in almost all offensive areas.
The German is also showcasing his elite ball striking. Although he is taking fewer shots P90 than last season, his goals P90 figure has more than doubled to 0.75 P90.
It's not just his finishing that has improved. An Expected Goals per shot figure of 0.20 P90 so far this season compared to last season’s 0.11 P90 also points to him getting better goal scoring positions to receive higher quality chances.
Apart from the impact of Kane, Tuchel’s tactics are playing into Sane’s strengths. Bayern do not press as high as they used to, and are happy to sit a bit deeper and invite teams on to them.
This has resulted in his defensive output falling, but Sane now has more attacking freedom in those transitional moments where he can use his devastating pace and close control to wreak havoc in the opposition third.
After a few years of trying to find his feet at Bayern, Sane’s hunger and confidence on the pitch has seen him take important steps in his evolution into an elite inverted winger.
The aspirations at the Allianz Arena extend beyond domestic triumphs, and Sane's contributions to their phenomenal attack is positioning them to pursue European glory.
This article was provided by FootballTransfers
