Bayern Munich players take part in a training session during the team’s winter camp at the Aspire Zone in Doha, yesterday.
Bayern Munich coach Hans-Dieter Flick has set aside speculation surrounding David Alaba’s move to Chelsea by saying that the player is ‘not for sale’ in the January transfer window.
Speaking to reporters yesterday during Bayern’s winter camp in Doha Flick said: “Alaba is not for sale in the winter.”
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard had identified Alaba as a top transfer target in January window with a speculated £60m bid for the Austrian.
The 27-year-old defender remains a key player for Bayern and Flick says he will continue to deputise at centre-back due to the club’s injury problems at the back.
“Alaba is doing very well at centre-back at the moment. He can lead a team, he showed that. These are the criteria the leader of the defence has to fulfil.”
“We are very well occupied with Alphonso Davies on the left,” said Flick, who has overseen five wins and two defeats in the league since being placed in temporary charge of the German champion club on November 3.
Alaba impressed at centre-back alongside Javi Martinez, Benjamin Pavard and Jerome Boateng in a string of Bundesliga victories before the mid-season break, and his performances fuelled speculation over a possible move to Chelsea.
The German club will train till January 11 at the state-of-the-art facilities at the Aspire Academy.
Flick, who is making his maiden visit to Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, described the infrastructure at Aspire Academy as ‘wonderful’.
“I did not get a chance to visit the city and have a closer look,” he added.
Reigning champions Bayern is third in Bundesliga at the midway stage, four points adrift of leader RB Leipzig after an indifferent first half to the campaign.
Flick is the caretaker manager until the end of the season after replacing Niko Kovac in November and revealed last week he is after a new right-back. He has overseen five wins and two defeats in the league since being placed in temporary charge of the German champion club.
Bayern set off their training camp, though injured stars Robert Lewandowski, Javi Martinez, Kingsley Coman and Niklas Sule were all missing.
Flick was reluctant to comment on the signing of goalkeeper Alexander Nubel from Schalke in a deal that will see the 23-year-old arrive in Munich at the end of the season.
Manuel Neuer has been ever-present in goal for Bayern this season and Flick said he is happy with Sven Ulreich in the role of deputy to the Germany international. Nubel is seen as a potential long-term successor to Neuer, but Flick said: “I’m not interested in that now.
“Bayern took the chance to bring a talented goalkeeper to Munich. But Nubel will be a Bayern player in July.
“I’m satisfied with the current situation and Sven Ulreich is doing very well. Competition enables performances.”
Yesterday morning Bayern conducted their first open training session since arriving in Doha on Saturday evening. During the session, much of the public’s focus centred on Lucas Hernández who has not been seen by Bayern’s fans for some time.
The French World Cup winner celebrated his return to training for the first time after around two and a half months out following ankle surgery at the end of October.
The 23-year-old participated in the circuit training, where the Bayern squad were tasked with various exercises involving dumbbells, bars, rings and weights.
Meanwhile, Serge Gnabry had to cut short his training after feeling a strain in his Achilles tendon during training yesterday.
The 22-year-old Bayern striker will therefore not be able to complete some of the squad sessions at the team’s training camp in Doha.
“We had running practice this morning, and during that, that’s when he had to stop,” coach Flick explained to the media.
Flick’s side will lay the foundations for a successful second half of the season with a number of training sessions in Qatar, before flying back to Germany to face FC Nürnberg in a friendly.
The second half of the season kicks off away at Hertha Berlin on January 19.
