Bayern Munich: Chris Richards set for loan move to Hoffenheim
There has been a good amount of transfer activity at Bayern Munich in the past few days. The German club is looking to sort out loan moves for younger players that need playing time at the senior level instead of youth teams. Chris Richards is the latest player that could be on his way out on a loan deal.
According to Sky Sports, Richards is going to join Hoffenheim for a six-month loan deal. The Bundesliga side will have no option to buy in this deal, which is understandable as Richards is very highly rated at Bayern. The loan move is likely to be confirmed late on Sunday after Richards bid goodbyes to his teammates.
Richards has been training with the first team this season. He has also got opportunities in Bundesliga at the start of the season. However, game time for the young defender has been difficult to come by in the last couple of months due to the availability of all defenders, excluding Tanguy Kouassi.
Hoffenheim will be a good move for Richards since Sebastian Hoeness is managing the club. Hoeness worked with Richards until last season as he was the manager of the reserves team. If he manages to get a considerable amount of playing time by the end of the season, then Richards will surely take the next step in his development.
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Richards’ versatility at the back makes him an exciting option for any coach. The young defender was deployed in the right-back position by Flick early in the season against Hertha Berlin. He managed to get an assist in that game. At the reserves level, Richards has been constantly playing in the center-back position, which is likely to be his position in the long term.
Using Richards in multiple positions at such a young age will benefit in the wrong. It will be intriguing to see where Hoeness will utilise Richards at Hoffenheim. As far as Bayern are considered, they will be pleased with Richards playing constantly in the next six months.
Along with Richards, Joshua Zirkzee is also expected to seal the loan move to Parma over the weekend. Unlike Richards, Zirkzee’s deal will have an option to buy for Parma. The Dutch striker struggled to get minutes in the first team this season after enjoying a decent breakthrough season last year.
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The loan moves completed last summer has not gone the way Bayern would have wanted. Sarpreet Singh returned to the club this week from Nurnberg, while Christian Fruchtl is also struggling to get playing time at the same club. Adrian Fein has also failed to make an impact at PSV Eindhoven, but Lukas Mai is getting considerable playing time at Darmstadt.