Bayern Munich have been reaping rewards by trusting in young academy graduates like Lennart Karl. The 17-year-old forward dazzled against Freiburg on Saturday. In limited appearances, Karl has shown why Bayern Munich have made him part of their plans this season and eventually the club’s long-term future.
Karl has grabbed opportunities with both hands this season. However, the pathway to the first team is not straightforward for every young player from the academy. Some players were sent out on loan in the summer to get consistent game time.
Jonah Kusi-Asare is one of the youngsters who left Bayern on loan to get consistent game time. The Swede joined Fulham on a season-long loan at the end of the summer transfer window.
It is fair to say that the move to London has not gone as planned for the 18-year-old striker. He has made only two appearances for Fulham this season. While talking to the media last week (via West London Sport), Fulham head coach Marco Silva insisted that Kusi-Asare is currently not ready for first-team football.
"When he first arrived, it was a moment for us to start to know him, to see what stage that he’s at right now. When you take decisions, you don’t take them because he’s a player A, B, C, or D, it’s because of the stage they compare to the others. I think you can take the conclusions of what I’m saying to you right now. If he’s not playing in this moment of the competition, it means that he’s not in a stage that he’s ready to go."Marco Silva on Jonah Kusi-Asare
Kusi-Asare had an impressive pre-season with Bayern as he managed to impress during his cameos in friendly games. He was also on the scoresheet in one game against Tottenham Hotspur. Die Roten were reportedly considering keeping him as a backup striker to Harry Kane, but they ended up signing Nicolas Jackson on loan from Chelsea.
Should Bayern recall Kusi-Asare in January?
Fulham have an option to make the transfer permanent. Unless there is a clear pathway for the youngster to get playing time and develop on the pitch, it does look like the option to buy will not be triggered.
It remains to be seen if Bayern have an option to cancel the loan in the winter transfer window. If things don’t improve for Kusi-Asare during the busy Christmas period, when Fulham will play a lot of games, then Bayern and the player may end up considering their options in January.
It is surprising to see Bayern allowed an option to buy, considering how they moved swiftly to beat several clubs for his signature a couple of years ago. Moreover, the Swede was also showing promising signs during the pre-season training. There could be a possibility that Die Roten may have a buyback clause inserted in the contract that allows Fulham to sign him permanently. The next few weeks can potentially decide if Kusi-Asare ends up staying at Fulham for the rest of the season.