Bayern Munich saw a painful exit in the FIFA Club World Cup after losing 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals. However, the most gut-wrenching takeaway from that match was the gruesome injury to Jamal Musiala. With a broken fibula, Bayern's star boy is expected to be sidelined for at least 4-5 months.
Bayern's long-term injury list is now three-deep with the recent addition of Musiala. He joins his best friend, Alphonso Davies, who is also recovering from an ACL tear, to miss a large chunk of the first half of the season. Hiroki Ito also needs until around October to make his comeback. Not to mention Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller's departure and an underperforming Serge Gnabry, Vincent Kompany is facing a disastrous situation with his squad depth, especially at left-back and attacking midfielder. Raphael Guerreiro and Josip Stanisic share the majority of the duties on the left flank, but haven't been the game-changers offensively and defensively in the system. Meanwhile, the frontline has become more of a mess. Kompany now has no real number 10 for next season.
No Overhaul, No Overreaction
Despite this seemingly urgent circumstance, Bayern's director of sport, Max Eberl, remained calm ahead of one of the most tumultuous seasons in the club's history. The executive plots a quiet summer window:
"We don't want to use injuries as an excuse for all results, but what we learned from last season is that we don't have to do a lot for the 2025/26 season."Max Eberl in post-game interview
Eberl also believes that it is not necessary to react and sign a replacement immediately after a player goes down. He has full trust in the current roster and hopes the injured players can make a strong return midway through the year.
This decision by Max Eberl and the Bayern board may face significant backlash from the supporters. The club has made only two signings on a free in Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof this window. Neither of these two players is a direct replacement or a viable backup for Davies or Musiala. If no more moves are being sought out, a possible option for Vincent Kompany and the coaching staff is to rely on the academy players. Lennart Karl, Paul Wanner, and Adam Aznou are all looking forward to fighting for a spot at the club.
However, despite this comment from the top management, Bayern is still expected to make some moves before the summer ends. Nick Woltemade has been made a priority signing as the UEFA U21 European Championship top goalscorer can play well as a number 9 and a number 10. A big-time winger is still on the radar.