Although pre-season did not go smoothly: at Bayern Munich, a bitter battle for fourth place is set to loom soon
No fewer than four players at Bayern Munich are eyeing the fourth starting place in attack. New signing Ismael Saibari has the best starting position.
Serge Gnabry had a special summer in 2025: first he celebrated his 30th birthday on 14 July, then he won a starting place at Bayern Munich. It was a remarkable turnaround, given that in the previous years Gnabry had been seen more as a player Bayern might sell than as an undisputed starter. Suddenly he was impossible to ignore, less because of his undoubtedly strong pre-season than because there was so little competition at the time.
Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, the three undisputed superstars, had their places in Munich's best XI nailed down. In Vincent Kompany's 4-2-3-1 system, only one serious option remained for the No. 10 role, Gnabry. Jamal Musiala was still expected to be out for months after his fibula fracture. Lennart Karl was clearly an extremely promising talent, but nobody could have foreseen that kind of rapid rise. Nicolas Jackson did not arrive until Deadline Day at the start of September and then needed plenty of time to adapt.
By the end, it was Gnabry or nothing. He was Kompany's first choice in by far the majority of the biggest matches, even if Karl quickly developed into a serious alternative, Jackson soon got chances of his own, which he largely failed to take, and Musiala eventually returned in January.
Bayern Munich: How resilient is Jamal Musiala?
Now the picture looks different. A fierce battle is brewing for the fourth spot in Munich's attack alongside Kane, Olise and Diaz. Musiala, Gnabry, Karl and €50 million new signing Ismael Saibari can all realistically expect minutes. With the schedule so congested, Kompany will rotate heavily. But right now, nobody knows who will start the big games.
Musiala had actually been seen as the favourite for the role. He wears the No. 10 shirt, he is one of the top earners, he was supposed to be the face of Bayern Munich and an absolute key player, but he is a long way from that right now. Since his comeback in January, Musiala has not returned to his previous level. After the disappointing World Cup, he had a metal plate removed from his foot.
His collapses in the friendlies against RB Leipzig and 1. FC Heidenheim have sparked serious concern over whether the 23-year-old can cope with the demands of the highest level. In principle, however, professional football is entirely possible with the absence epilepsy he has been diagnosed with, as neurologist Dr Regina Becker confirms in an interview with SPOX.
Musiala himself is apparently not planning any break. In his widely noted Instagram statement, he wrote: "In close coordination and regular consultation with the experts, it has been my personal wish to face this challenge and, with the clearance of the neurological specialists, to continue devoting myself to what helps me most in my recovery: simply living my everyday life and continuing to pursue my passion for playing football."
Ismael Saibari starts the battle for places with an advantage
Meanwhile, Gnabry (31) and Karl (18) missed the World Cup with muscle injuries. They spent large parts of pre-season working individually on their comebacks and are now being reintegrated into team training. They could be back in contention as early as Saturday's Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund, but they are expected to be options again by the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart the following Friday at the latest.
Saibari has the strongest chance of starting the opening matches of the season. After his impressive World Cup with Morocco, the 25-year-old also initially had to sit out with a torn muscle fibre. He is now fully up to speed, made a good impression in his first two friendly appearances and even provided an assist in the 3-1 win against Leipzig. Compared with his three rivals, Saibari is the fittest and therefore starts the intriguing battle for the vacant spot in Munich's attack with an edge.
During the quartet's absence, loan returnee Arijon Ibrahimovic (20) as well as academy players Tim Binder (19) and Maycon Cardozo (17) also caught the eye over the course of pre-season. One of them could yet follow a similar path to Karl's. Even so, that looks significantly less likely this season than Karl's breakthrough a year ago because Bayern have a deeper pool of established players.
