While FC Bayern deliberately decided against external reinforcements in the winter transfer window, there was a lot of movement behind the scenes at the campus. After several loans and permanent departures, the record champions have now confirmed another departure from the youth academy after the deadline day. Midfielder Max Mergner is leaving Munich with immediate effect to join Austrian second division club First Vienna FC
The departure is part of a phase of structural upheaval at the Bayern campus. FCB’s second team continues to play in the regional league and the sporting leap to the professional ranks is greater than ever. In order to offer talented players development prospects, those responsible have been increasingly relying on loan models or targeted transfers to higher leagues for years. This strategy was once again clearly evident last winter
Bayern relies on permeability instead of stagnation
With Felipe Chávez, Grayson Dettoni, Magnus Dalpiaz, Javier Fernández, Moritz Göttlicher and Adin Licina, six young players have already left the club during the winter break. Four of them gained match practice on loan, while two opted for a permanent departure. Now Max Mergner, another player who was trained on campus but has been treading water of late, is following suit
The defensive midfielder has not been more than a supplementary player in the current regional league season – a difficult situation for a 19-year-old who wants to take the next step in professional soccer. The move to Austria now offers Mergner the chance to prove himself regularly at a higher level in a new environment and to take on responsibility
Twelve years at Bayern – now a new start
Few other young players are more emblematic of FC Bayern’s long-term approach to training. Mergner joined the record champions‘ U9s back in 2014 at the age of nine. Since then, he has come through all the youth teams at Säbener Straße and on campus. He wore the Bayern jersey for twelve years, developing both as a footballer and as a person within the club structure
The fact that he did not make the breakthrough in Munich in the end is not an isolated case, but part of the reality of top international soccer. The competition at FC Bayern is brutal, the path to playing time with the professionals extremely narrow. For many talents, the most sensible development step is therefore a change of club
With First Vienna FC, Mergner has deliberately opted for a traditional club. The oldest soccer club in Austria offers him a professional environment in the 2nd division where he can gain match practice and reposition himself. For FC Bayern, his departure is further proof that the campus is increasingly focusing on individual career paths.
