Bayern Munich: Defensive Midfielders To Consider

Maxence Caqueret

The 23-year-old Frenchman has been linked to just about every team in the Premier League’s so-called big six. So too has he been identified as an ideal Jude Bellingham replacement at Dortmund. That only gives Bayern all the more reason to look at young talents, especially those who are about to see their stock rise rapidly.

Caqueret was one of the few bright lights in a disappointing 2022/23 for Lyon, whose seventh-placed finish represented a third top-four miss in four years. That was once unthinkable for a club that had failed to take a podium place just three times in the 20 years preceding 2019/20.

Provided that the €25 million tag on Transfermarkt is accurate, Caqueret’s ability to cause disruption in either penalty box – and adaptability towards changing phases in play – would make him a steal. His passing and ability to read games are excellent for someone in his relatively tender years, in a position that often sees players only get better with age.

If there is one reservation Bayern might have, it is his occasional inconsistency with killer passes in the final third. As a means to improving that, his technique on the ball is still an area for development. But there are few better clubs than Bayern to help Caqueret become the complete number six, and he’d be a particularly strong asset if Thomas Tuchel ever had cause to deploy a deep-lying midfielder.