Nathaniel Brown is one of Vincent Kompany’s top targets. Despite his high transfer fee, the new FC Bayern signing will apparently not automatically start the new season as a regular.
With Nathaniel Brown, FC Bayern has secured one of the most sought-after German fullbacks. According to consistent media reports, the Munich club is paying around 50 million euros to Eintracht Frankfurt; with bonus payments, the transfer fee could even rise to as much as 55 million euros. This makes Brown the most expensive fullback in Bundesliga history.
Given this investment, many fans expect the 23-year-old to immediately secure a starting spot at left back. However, that does not seem to be the plan for now.
Davies remains the starter for now
As tz reporter Philipp Kessler reports, FC Bayern still views Alphonso Davies as the first choice on the left side. “I believe Alphonso Davies will stay at Bayern. He doesn’t have to worry about losing his spot in the starting lineup just yet,” Kessler explained.
Brown is initially expected to take over the playing time that was most recently shared by Hiroki Ito, Raphael Guerreiro, and Tom Bischof, among others, on the left side. While Ito is expected to leave the club, Bischof is moving permanently to central midfield, and Guerreiro’s contract was not renewed.
According to Kessler, Brown is initially expected to serve as a challenger. “If Brown proves himself quickly at FC Bayern, he’ll definitely be a serious contender for Davies’ spot. But playing in Frankfurt is different from being watched by millions of fans at FC Bayern. The pressure is on a whole different level,” the Bayern expert emphasized.
While club officials believe the national team player is capable of taking the next step in his development, they apparently want to give him the time he needs to adjust to the significantly higher level of competition at Germany’s record-breaking champions.
New options on the left side
In the long term, however, Brown could still play a key role in Vincent Kompany’s team. Furthermore, his signing opens up new tactical possibilities for the Bayern coach.
It’s entirely conceivable, for example, that Alphonso Davies will be deployed more frequently in an attacking role in the future. The Canadian regularly plays on the left wing for his national team and was originally trained as an attacking player early in his career. It wasn’t until he joined FC Bayern that he was retrained as a left back.
With Brown and Davies, Munich will have two top-class options for the left side in the future—and will thus gain significantly more flexibility for the upcoming season.