Lennart Karl is making headlines at the DFB and with his market value. At FC Bayern, however, it’s clear that the competition continues to hold him back.
Lennart Karl is currently one of FC Bayern’s most talked-about young talents. The 18-year-old has developed tremendously in a short time, is now valued at 60 million euros, and has even had the chance to showcase his skills with the German national team.
In the 0-0 draw against Greece, Karl even started under Jürgen Klopp and played 63 minutes. Expectations surrounding the youngster are thus growing—especially with regard to his role at FC Bayern.
But that’s precisely where the fierce competition is currently evident.
In the 2–2 draw against FC Augsburg, Karl didn’t enter the game until the 87th minute, replacing Luis Díaz. The course of the match itself made this decision particularly interesting. Bayern fell behind early, struggled for a long time, and needed fresh offensive momentum as the game progressed.
Vincent Kompany initially opted for other solutions, however. In the 67th minute, Serge Gnabry came on for Ismael Saibari. Karl, on the other hand, had to wait longer and didn’t get his chance until shortly before the end.
At Bayern, the pecking order is still clear
The fact that Karl wasn’t brought on until so late shows quite clearly where he stands in Bayern’s current hierarchy. Recently , the youngster’s market value had risen to 60 million euros, and at the same time , top international clubs have long been keeping an eye on his development.
All of this has brought Karl a lot of attention—but it doesn’t automatically translate into more playing time.
On the offensive wings, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz are currently the first choices. Behind them, Gnabry and Ismael Saibari are additional established options. Saibari, in particular, has recently made a strong case for himself, scoring against both Union Berlin and Augsburg.
For Karl, this means that even if he’s already getting minutes in the starting lineup with the DFB, the path to the starting lineup at FC Bayern is significantly more complicated.
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The Augsburg match was a particularly good example of this. After a weak first half, Bayern needed more pace and creativity, yet Kompany initially opted not to play Karl. This isn’t a negative assessment of his development, but a clear indication of the current pecking order.
The 18-year-old will have to remain patient. His talent is beyond question, but at FC Bayern he’s up against an offense with tremendous quality and experience.
As a result, public perception and on-field reality are still somewhat at odds at the moment. Karl has long been regarded as one of the most exciting talents in his age group. For Kompany, however, he currently remains primarily an option for the closing stages of a match.