Jonathan Tah has officially signed a four-year contract with "Bayern Munich" after spending his final season at "Bayer Leverkusen". The 29-year-old defender, who helped Leverkusen clinch the Bundesliga title from Bayern in 2024, had been linked with several clubs including "Barcelona" and "Real Madrid" before making his decision.
"I want to win many titles," - Tah reportedly stated after finalizing his move to the Bavarian giants last week.
However, the timing of his transfer announcement couldn't have been worse. Tah's performance in Germany's Nations League semifinal defeat to Portugal (1-2) has drawn sharp criticism from German media and former players alike.
Bild, Germany's prominent sports publication, didn't hold back in their assessment: "Tah is not Rüdiger yet!" The publication highlighted how the defense appeared unstable without the injured Antonio Rüdiger of "Real Madrid", noting that Tah failed to step up as a defensive leader in his first match after announcing his Bayern transfer.
Former German captain Michael Ballack also weighed in on the situation. "The absences of Jamal Musiala, Nico Schlotterbeck and Antonio Rüdiger are a great burden for the team," the ex-Leverkusen player commented to DAZN, particularly concerned about the upcoming World Cup.
"At the back, with Rüdiger and Schlotterbeck missing, we don't have enough stability. We need quality there. We were looking for the ball and can be happy it wasn't worse," – Ballack added.
Interestingly, even 36-year-old Jerome Boateng, the 2014 World Cup winner currently playing for Austrian club Linz, took a sarcastic swipe at the situation on Instagram: "Without Rüdiger better, right?"
Tah's career path could have taken a different turn. The defender was heavily linked with "Barcelona" as a potential replacement if Ronald Araujo had left the Catalan club. He was also connected to "Real Madrid" after news broke that Xabi Alonso, under whom Tah flourished at Leverkusen, might become the manager of the Spanish giants.
Will Tah be able to silence his critics and prove his worth at Bayern? The pressure is certainly mounting on the defender who now faces the challenge of living up to his new contract at one of Europe's most demanding clubs.
