What is Bayern Munich getting in Bryan Zaragoza?
Untapped Potential
I know I have already mentioned it twice, but Bryan Zaragoza DID NOT COME FROM AN ACADEMY SYSTEM. In today's world of YouTube, scouting, and social media, to have a player be "undiscovered" for as long as Zaragoza was is almost unheard of. Massive clubs invest highly in their scouting departments to uncover the next Messi or Ronaldo, and they scour through the youth levels weekly to find the next great wonderkid. Which makes me wonder how Zaragoza was not seen before Granada discovered him in 2019?
Because Zaragoza did not receive the coaching that most professionals received at a young age (no offense to the coaching that he did receive at Conejito Málaga and Tiro Pichón), I firmly believe he has a massive ceiling. Much like former Bayern player Joao Cancelo, a lot of his knowledge of the game has come from his "street football" upbringing. Allowing him to now blend his attacking prowess with that of high-level coaching, should unlock his potential.
When looking at his match logs from the past two seasons (via FBref), his only two seasons of first-team football, Zaragoza has played in 48 matches. During those 48 matches, Zaragoza only averaged 45 minutes per game. I do not believe that is because Granada feel he is only a 45' player, but Granada feel Zaragoza is still learning and growing. In the 22/23 season, Zaragoza only played more than 45' in 7 of his 36 appearances in the Spanish 2nd Division. Already in the 23/24 season, Zaragoza has appeared in 12 games in which he played longer than 45', showcasing growth and development over the last two seasons.
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While Zaragoza can certainly be seen as a transfer for the future, I would expect the young Spaniard to push for playing time from the word go. With the uncertainty surrounding the future of certain players like Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich would be wise to continue the trend that new Technical Director Christoph Freund has started in identifying and signing young, bargain players with tremendous potential.