Sebastian Rudy to Red Bull Leipzig could threaten depth for Bayern Munich

Sebastian Rudy has seen a drastic cut in playing time at Bayern Munich. Despite his lack of presence in the Bayern XI, losing him could prove to create problems in depth.

By Bayern Munich standards, it has been a relatively quiet transfer off-season. As of now — and likely to remain so for the rest of the transfer window season — Bayern Munich have made no big name signings into the club. In fact, the club seems to be actually looking to trim the squad a bit.

This is an approach that will require patience and further analysis as the competitive season plays out to determine whether this was a mistake or not. However, despite the slew of transfer rumors surrounding some Bayern Munich players, including Sebastian Rudy and Jerome Boateng, the only one of those rumors to come to fruition is the transfer of Arturo Vidal to FC Barcelona.

But it looks like Bayern Munich are not done in terms of looking toward trimming the squad size. Recently, there have been rumors surrounding the move of Sebastian Rudy to Bundesliga club Red Bull Leipzig. Rumors suggest that Rudy has already taken it upon himself to visit the club, despite only arriving to Bayern Munich one year ago.

The arena of midfield for Bayern is definitely one that could be argued to be bloated with talent as it is. With so many midfielders — central midfielders specifically — looking to offload at least one more might not be the worst idea for the club as a whole. There is plenty of competition as it is, especially with the arrival of Leon Goretzka and the return from loan of Renato Sanches.

However, losing Sebastian Rudy in particular to Red Bull Leipzig could prove to have long-term problems in depth. The reason might not seem so detrimental and obvious initially, but could show its head as the season thickens and/or Bayern face another injury crisis.

The main issue or threat with this rumor of Sebastian Rudy moving to Red Bull Leipzig coming to fruition is the threat to the midfield depth that this could cause. If Rudy were to leave Bayern Munich it would leave the Bavarian club with only one true number six/defensive midfielder in Javi Martinez. Given that Javi Martinez is no longer at the age of youthful potential and health for an athlete and has himself been no stranger to injuries, this could be a real problem in the long run for Bayern.

Sebastian Rudy seemed to have proven his worth, for a time, under then-manager Carlo Ancelotti. The 28-year-old German featured prominently as the defensive-midfielder in a three-man central-midfield partnership. However, this rise in prominence within the Bayern ranks came to a halt when Jupp Heynckes took over once again. Javi was promptly returned to his defensive-midfield role, sending Rudy to the bench.

This isn’t to fault Heynckes with choosing Javi over Rudy. The Spaniard proved and continues to prove that he thrives as the anchor of the Bayern Munich midfield providing as the shield to the back line. But this is also not to take away from Rudy himself either. Under Ancelotti, he demonstrated impressive defensive prowess.

One game in particular that comes to mind is the match against Schalke in the first half of the 2017-18 season. Sebastian Rudy was at his prime in that game, distributing the ball excellently across the pitch with accuracy and setting the pace. In addition, he was a reliable shield to the back four, giving defensive coverage whenever needed.

Losing Rudy to a Bundesliga competitor in Red Bull Leipzig could create problems in strengthening an opponent and losing critical depth that Bayern Munich are known for having. Especially since Bayern are also known for suffering through injury crises when the season matters most, losing the only other true defensive-minded midfielder aside from Javi Martinez could be a decision they’ll come to regret if push comes to shove later on.