Leon Goretzka wanted to „stand at Marienplatz with his hands full“ with FC Bayern in the summer, as the 31-year-old himself put it after it was officially announced that he and the record champions would part ways at the end of his contract. A winter switch – despite concrete interest from Atlético Madrid – was out of the question for the international. In retrospect, however, the question arises: was that the right decision?
Under Vincent Kompany, Goretzka has fallen behind in sporting terms. The Bayern coach has made a clear choice in central midfield, with Joshua Kimmich acting as the driving force and pacemaker and Aleksandar Pavlovic as a dynamic link player. Pavlovic in particular is currently in impressive form. „Aleks is the machine that runs, that does, that does. He is in very good form,“ praised sporting director Max Eberl recently – a clear signal
Only ten minutes in four games
The bare figures speak for themselves: Goretzka has only played ten minutes in the last four competitive matches. Three times he was on the bench for the entire match. In the cup against Leipzig, he at least made a brief appearance – but nothing more
Kompany himself is matter-of-fact about it: „Leon’s situation is a consequence of the fact that we have all the players fit at the moment. And I don’t want to see that as a negative.“ For the coach, it’s a luxury problem. For Goretzka, on the other hand, it could become a career sticking point
After all, the midfielder has a big goal: the 2026 World Cup in North America. National coach Julian Nagelsmann has repeatedly emphasized that regular match practice is a basic requirement for a nomination. If Goretzka continues to play only a supporting role in Munich, his World Cup dream will be seriously jeopardized
A door would have opened once again in the winter. According to BILD, Arsenal expressed interest in signing him immediately on deadline day. However, Goretzka had already made a clear public commitment to remain in Munich by this point. A U-turn would have been almost impossible to broker
Bayern are already planning without him
While Goretzka is fighting for minutes, those responsible have long been thinking about the future. According to media reports, Noel Aséko is set to return in the summer after his loan from Hannover 96. The 20-year-old has impressed in the Bundesliga 2 with his tackling ability and dynamism
Sporting director Christoph Freund enthuses: „Noel is doing really well. He is improving from game to game and brings aggression and a touch that is very interesting for us.“ Words that sound like a quiet announcement
Goretzka still has a few months left to make his mark on the pitch. He should not lack motivation. But without playing time, he lacks a stage. And without a stage, it will be difficult to recommend himself for the big stage in North America.