Bastian Schweinsteiger recently retired from international football but now he may find himself short on game time even at his club Manchester United after Jose Mourinho banished him to the reserves.
The German is rumoured to not be in the manager’s plans and has been asked to find a new club. The whole saga has left fans of the World Cup winner infuriated, with several of his former teammates Bayern Munich criticizing Mourinho for his disregard for the player.
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The 32-year-old still has bags of quality and several clubs will be ready to swoop for the midfielder. Let’s look at 5 clubs that could prove to be the right fit for Schweinsteiger:
5) Paris Saint-Germain
Everybody knows PSG have all the money in the world. The French champions set a record last season by winning the league in super quick time. But something that has eluded them since their mega money takeover has been the UEFA Champions League.
Laurent Blanc was dismissed by the club this season after failing to meet the board’s expectations. Unai Emery who won the Europa league three times in a row was appointed as the new coach.
With Thiago Motta ageing and Marco Verrati’s injury problems signing Bastian Schweinsteiger might be a logical move for them. The German has a lot of experience in Europe, and can prove to be an asset to any team.
Adrien Rabiot is considered to be the future of the club and plays in a similar role to the German veteran. He could be the guiding force to help the 21-year-old turn into a genuine world class star.
4) Olympiacos
In the past, we have seen several players making the move to a lesser competitive league to extend their career as much as possible. With the transfer windows for both the MLS and the Chinese Super league now closed the player will be forced to look for teams in Europe.
Olympiakos are a very successful club and more often than not compete in the Champions League. The Greek champions almost always finish on top of their league and are guaranteed to qualify almost every season for the prestigious competition.
They would not hesitate one bit to move for a player like Schweinsteiger and he would add considerable quality to their midfield. The only stumbling block would be the player’s wages which the club might not be able to afford.
3) Galatasaray
Galatasaray are another one of those clubs that look to sign players who are above the age of 31. But they don’t just sign any player but those with the calibre and consistency to play well beyond the age of 30.
Schweinsteiger showed at the Euros that he still has the ability and the quality to pick a pass and keep things ticking over. After Khedira was injured, Joachim Loew decided to turn to the German to fill his void.
Schweinsteiger’s performance was admirable even though his team were knocked out in the semi-finals of the competition by France Imagine a midfield duo of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Wesley Sneijder. A mouth-watering prospect indeed.
2) Juventus
Juventus have just lost arguably one of the best midfield players in the world to Manchester United but they can soften the blow by signing Schweinsteiger. If any club can get the best out of their players it’s Juve and Massimiliano Allegri.
The Italian giants have already signed Gonzalo Higuain and Dani Alves this summer and with Pogba’s departure adding Bastian Schweinsteiger would be a big boost for the club. The German will do well to fit into the Juve system.
The club have received a record sum of money from Pogba’s sale and will surely look to re-invest. Players seem to age like wine when playing for the Turin giants and that affect might just rub off on the 32-year-old as well.
Juve will no doubt go for the Champions league crown this season and Schweinsteiger having already won the trophy with Bayern might find it enticing to try his luck once again.
1) An MLS club in January
The MLS is a very attractive option for many Premier League players. The likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and others have made the move to the US after they felt they finished their Premier League careers.
The MLS has proven to be a wonderful way for players to earn big bucks and prolong their careers. David Beckham and Thierry Henry did extremely well in the states and Gerrard and Lampard followed suit.
Bastian Schweinsteiger would be the ideal candidate to play in the MLS and the clubs will also be willing to pay the wages he would demand. The US have used their buying power to attract big stars and also help improve the popularity of the sport at the same time.
Schweinsteiger could replicate the success of the players who went before him to the MLS. He will have to wait a few months, as the window is currently closed but the MLS is a league that will suit him the best and a little waiting should not be a problem for him.
