Niklas Sule has hit out at reports suggesting he refused to travel for Bayern Munich’s final league game against Wolfsburg, insisting the decision was down to manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Sule has already agreed to leave Bayern on a free transfer this summer, with a move to Borussia Dortmund lined up, and when he failed to show for the final game of the campaign on Saturday, he was blasted by many fans and even honorary president Uli Hoeness, who described the defender’s actions as ‘catastrophic’.
Now, in an interview with Bild, Sule has revealed what led to his omission from the matchday squad.
“It’s not true,” Sule said of the speculation. “Things were said about me in the past few weeks that are unacceptable.
“Last Thursday, Julian Nagelsmann asked me if it’s okay for me not to be included in the squad for Wolfsburg. He wanted to give priority to the young players who will be at Bayern next season. There was no place in the squad for me. I understood his decision and accepted it.
“On Friday, one of the assistants said Marcel Sabitzer got injured shortly before the trip to Wolfsburg. I was told that I can travel with the team now but it’s also fine if I didn’t. That was the whole story.
“On Sunday, Julian Nagelsmann said in front of the whole team that I did nothing wrong. Everyone in the team knows that I never let them down.”
Sule also stressed that he is not done winning Bundesliga titles and he plans to pip Bayern to the trophy in the coming years.
“The moment I put my hands on the trophy, some of my teammates behind told me: ‘Niki, this is your last!’ My response? I said ‘We’ll see’.
“I believe I can win it with Dortmund. I made my decision with full conviction. I’m convinced that we’ll really put in a fight for the Bundesliga title.
“Even after my transfer was announced, I wanted to prove that I still wanted to win everything with Bayern. I won five league titles, two cups and the Champions League here. Now I hope I can repeat this success with Dortmund. It’s not only hope. I firmly believe in that.”
