In the space of 10 months, Eric Choupo-Moting saw his status plummet down the pyramid. A starter last season at Bayern Munich, the Cameroonian must now count the butterflies from the substitutes’ bench. A much less cheerful context, which also cost him his place at the CAN this winter with the Indomitable Lions. But it was not for lack of warning, the 34-year-old striker had been given the flavor of his role: an interim starter, until a world-class number nine arrived to replace Lewandowski, after the failure Sadio Mané.
The number nine in question ended up being named Harry Kane, and he wasted no time before moving everything back to Germany. Under the combined effect of the Englishman’s performances and the rise in power of Mathys Tel, Choupo-Moting saw his status decline more quickly than expected. Although he maintains a warm and long-standing relationship with his coach Thomas Tuchel, working with Mainz then at PSG, the Hamburg native has only taken part in 429 minutes of play in the Bundesliga this season, which is even less than ‘Eric Dier, arrived a month ago.
He will leave the club at the end of the season
If the daily BILD reassured about the player’s impeccable state of mind in mid-January, smiling and joking in training, charming and friendly with the club’s employees and supporters, Choupo-Moting took this downgrade badly. Above all, he did not digest his non-call-up for the CAN, he, the 9th most capped player in the history of Cameroon (73 caps). “He’s a very good player. But my technical staff and I decided to maintain the continuity of the personnel from the last matches.declared Rigobert Song when justifying his choice.
Since then, nothing has really changed for the ex-Parisian. Sitting on the bench alongside Bouna Sarr at the weekend, the 34-year-old striker has to be content with crumbs, and clearly, his crystal ball which gave him a rather disturbing success last year, is no longer effective. Losing momentum despite 2 goals scored in the Bundesliga, Choupo-Moting will leave the club at the end of the season, just like Bouna Sarr whose contract will expire in June. On that, BILD has no doubt. It remains to be seen for what destination.
