Coman and Gnabry can replace Robben and Ribery – Pizarro

Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman have the ability to succeed departing duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, says Bayern Munich’s former striker Claudio Pizarro.

Ribery and Robben are both leaving the Allianz Arena at the end of the season, having spent a combined 22 years at the club.

Bayern made a public play to sign Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi in the January transfer window, having a series of bids for the winger rejected by the Premier League side.

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has indicated Bayern could make another attempt to bring in England international Hudson-Odoi, but Pizarro feels Ribery and Robben’s replacements may already be at the club.

“I think they are able to replace them,” Pizarro, now in a fourth stint at Werder Bremen, told Omnisport.

“You reach a certain point where you’ve got to stop [talking about Robben and Ribery] and new people arrive.

“This is normal and these two are very good players. They will have a good development and do good things for Bayern.

“I would like to play with them [Robben and Ribery] but I don’t know what they are going to do. I wish them all the best for their future, as I said. I hope they find something they really want to do after Bayern.

“I know Arjen a bit better to be honest, because I was at Chelsea for one year together with him. Since then we had a very good relationship on and off the pitch. I was very happy when he returned to the pitch again after his injury.

“Both are special players on the wing. They would be important for any team. They are good at one-on-ones and how they score goals is essential for any team. It was an honour for me to play with them and I wish them all the best.”

Got there in the end #DFBPokal pic.twitter.com/19IpAwz6Uw

— Serge Gnabry (@SergeGnabry) April 25, 2019

Pizarro scored a potentially decisive goal in the title race, his late leveller earlier this month earning Werder a 2-2 draw at home to Borussia Dortmund, who are now two points behind Bayern going into the final weekend of the Bundesliga season.

Werder, meanwhile, wrap up their campaign at home to RB Leipzig, with Florian Kohfeldt’s side able to finish as high as seventh in the table.

“Kohfeldt is very good in leading the team,” Pizarro, 40, said. “He is a coach that can speak very well to a player. He gives a lot of confidence to the player. I think the player returns this confidence on the pitch.

“He is very good in tactics, he does that really well. And I think he will be a good coach, he is heading in the right direction. With more experience he will become one of the greatest coaches in Germany.”

Asked if Kohfeldt, 36, is a potential successor to Germany coach Joachim Low, Pizarro added: “It could happen. We will see. Now he is still at Werder.

“He still has some years here at Bremen where he can gain more experience. This is very important, I think. In the end he will decide on what’s best for his career.”