Harry Kane needs help! Bayern Munich told they still require 'a couple more' players to end Champions League hoodoo

Last month, Kane claimed this Bayern squad was among the 'smallest' he's worked with. He said: "It's probably one of the smallest squads I've ever played in... We have some young players who have done very well in pre-season. We're a bit thin, but that's not in the players' control."

Bayern have added three senior players to their ranks for the 2025-26 season, with Luis Diaz arriving from Liverpool in a €70m deal, while Jonathan Tah signed on a free transfer at the end of his Bayer Leverkusen contract, and Nicolas Jackson joined on an initial loan on deadline day. However, the German champions have also lost several key players, including Leroy Sane, Eric Dier, Thomas Muller, Joao Palhinha and Kingsley Coman, bringing their transfer dealings into the spotlight in the local press.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL, Steve McManaman said that while he sympathises with Kane's concerns over the size of the squad, Bayern also need to appease egos in the fight for playing time. The ex-Real Madrid star said: "I think it helps [with a bigger squad]. They brought in Luis Diaz, they've got a lot up top. But if Harry gets injured, you wonder who could play there, that's the big thing. Out wide it's fine with Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise, they let Kingsley Coman go but they could do with a couple more themselves. Jamal Musiala's injured and he's vitally important, they still rely on people like Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka. 

"In an ideal world, you could all do with a few more players, but keeping them happy... Pep [Guardiola] has spoken about keeping everybody happy is very difficult. You look at the Chelsea squad, they have an abundance of players. I think there's certainly a balance of having too many and keeping everybody happy. You look at Real Madrid's squad at the minute and that looks very spot, but the hardest part for Xabi [Alonso] is keeping everybody happy because he's got that many now. Bayern probably could do with a couple more to help them along."

Steve McManaman was speaking on behalf of bet365, Official Global Partner of the UEFA Champions League. This season, bet365 will be once again running the Big Ticket Giveaway game giving fans the chance to win tickets to every single UEFA Champions League match starting with the Round 1 ballot which opens on 31st August. Registration Required. T&Cs Apply, 18+. GambleAware.org.

Fresh from breaking another record with England and helping Bayern thrash Hamburg 5-0 at the Allianz Arena over the weekend, Kane is now preparing to face a familiar foe in the Bavarians' opening Champions League game. The Bundesliga champions host Chelsea on Wednesday night, with summer signing Jackson free to face his parent club despite being on loan from Stamford Bridge.