Bayern Munich's Matthäus advocates for relying more on homegrown talents
In a recent development, Lothar Matthäus, the record German national player, has expressed a desire for talents like Paul Wanner and Lennart Karl to receive playing time in upcoming Bundesliga games. This call comes as Vincent Kompany, the coach of FC Bayern Munich, started these young players in a friendly match against Olympique Lyon last Saturday.
Currently, Jamal Musiala is out due to a dislocation of the ankle joint and a fibula fracture, providing an opportunity for Wanner to step up. Kompany started Wanner, a 19-year-old player, as a possible replacement for Musiala in the friendly match. Alongside Wanner, 17-year-old Lennart Karl also made his appearance.
Jonah Kusi-Asare, David Daiber, and Cassiano Kiala, all from the FC Bayern Munich youth academy, were also brought on by Kompany in the same match. Kiala, the youngest of the bunch at just 16 years old, made his mark in the friendly.
Matthäus, in his commentary, mentioned that Wanner has the ability to play on Musiala's position. He also criticized that talents like Adam Aznou (FC Everton) and Franz Krätzig (FC Red Bull Salzburg) left FC Bayern due to the hope of better development opportunities elsewhere.
Matthäus's advocacy for more playing time for homegrown talents stems from his uncertainty about Bayern's current transfer strategy. He has been critical of the club's recent acquisitions, such as João Palhinha and Bryan Zaragoza, who didn't find much sporting relevance in Munich.
Although explicit quotes on this exact point are not detailed in the search results, the context from Bavarian Football Works shows Matthäus expressing uncertainty about Bayern's transfer strategy and hints at a desire to leverage younger, academy-trained players. Given Matthäus’s profile as an expert observer of German football, this aligns with a common viewpoint that nurturing youth talent benefits the club’s long-term success and identity more than frequent expensive transfers.
Matthäus further suggested that other clubs might see potential in Bayern's young players that Bayern might not see. This sentiment was echoed in the friendly match against Olympique Lyon, which ended with a score of 2:1 in Bayern's favour.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how Kompany continues to integrate these young talents into the first team and whether Matthäus's call for more playing time for homegrown talents will be heeded.
Wanner and Karl, both young talents at FC Bayern Munich, could potentially gain more playing time in the upcoming European-leagues, such as the Premier-league, following Lothar Matthäus's advocacy for homegrown players. Matthäus, expressing uncertainty about Bayern's transfer strategy, believes nurturing youth talent, like Wanner and Karl, will benefit the club's long-term success and identity more than frequent expensive transfers.
