CSmith1919Thu, December 18, 2025 at 1:15 AM UTC·4 min readMany Bayern Munich fans are looking at the team’s roster and wondering just how the attack will work once Jamal Musiala returns.
Striker Harry Kane has been in one of the best stretches of his career, while wingers Michael Olise and Luis Díaz have both been excellent. Surprisingly, both Serge Gnabry and youngster Lennart Karl have excelled in the attacking midfield role vacated by Musiala’s long-term injury.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNow, with Musiala on the verge of a comeback, the talk has shifted to one big question — “How do you put Lennart Karl on the bench after how he has performed?”
For Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen the discussing is a little amusing considering he had heard so much complaining about the club having a thing roster.
“I think this discussion is quite astonishing. Because I remember very well when we regularly discussed the thin squad in late summer. I said back then that a thin squad offers great opportunities for talented players. We’ve seen that now. Lennart Karl has done an outstanding job. Competition usually always helps to improve overall performance, and I’m sure the coach will find the right solutions,” Dreesen said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “It takes something special to keep motivating yourself for so long. We are very happy that Jamal is now back training with the team.”
Dreesen might be scoffing at the perceived issue, but it is a real thing. Karl is the first, legitimate homegrown, attacking player, who has gotten the chance with the first team, grabbed the opportunity, and looks like he could develop into a star in years.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow do you keep that progress and development going without alienating Musiala, the building block player for the club’s future?
Vincent Kompany will have to sort that out, but it could be tricky.
BFW Analysis
This is more complicated than Dreesen is letting on. During Musiala’s contract negotiations, Sport Bild reported that there were several factors that Musiala was considering, including:
1- Musiala should be the #10 in the system around which the team is built. During the meeting, the bosses made it clear to the player that he’s the legitimate successor to Thomas Müller in the position.
2- Musiala should be Bayern’s driving force in the international market. Eberl reiterated during the meeting that he sees Musiala as one of the faces of the club in the future, representing Bayern especially abroad.
3- The team should continue to be strengthened – Eberl and Freund were impressed with how Musiala is intensively thinking about the structure the team. The transfer of Michael Olise, in particular, impressed him. Musiala is also in regular contact with Florian Wirtz. A contract extension of Musiala would be an incentive for Wirtz to join Bayern next year.
4- The collective goal is to win the Champions League. The individual goal is to win the Ballon d’Or – Musiala insisted during the meeting that his biggest goal is to win the Champions League. Although he already has the title in his cabinet, he was only a substitute in 2020 and doesn’t feel like a ‘real Champions League winner’. He wants to contribute to the title, which would then improve his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
5- The salary: all 4 points above were discussed in last week’s meeting, but the salary was not discussed yet. Musiala currently earns around €9m gross per year, which should be significantly increased with a contract extension making him one of the club’s top earners. It remains to be seen whether Bayern’s offer would be over or under €20m/year. This point should be discussed in the next meeting.
Some of those points are now moot and others are already in place, but for those fans hoping that Musiala will just shift out to wing to accommodate Karl, well, do not hold your breath. As indicated in point No. 1, Musiala is intent on being the attacking midfielder and we do not expect him to relent on that point.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTo be clear, though, the situation is not dire just yet. Even with the winter break, it should be a while before Musiala is read to play a full 90 minutes, but this will be the first time in the youngster’s career that he now has someone both performing and potentially breathing down his neck for playing time.
How Musiala, Kompany, and Karl all handle this in the coming months should give us all an idea just how viable this situation will be moving forward.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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