Bayern Munich is a team in transition in a lot of ways.
The new front office is ready to hire a new coach and also revamp a somewhat sagging roster (at least at a couple of positions). To get that roster shuffle going, Bayern Munich is looking at a name that might excite some fans — 19-year-old Mainz 05 attacker Brajan Gruda.
Gruda had four goals and three assists in 25 games across all competitions for Mainz 05 this season, but his electric style attracted the eyes of many across Germany. In 2023/24, Gruda functioned mostly as an attacking midfielder per Transfermarkt, but the youngster is mostly known for his play as a winger, which is where it would seem the Bavarians might have legitimate interest in Gruda.
According to a report from Sport Bild journalist Tobi Altschäffl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), the Bavarians have the Germany youth international on their transfer sheet:
Bayern are also monitoring Mainz winger Brajan Gruda (19) and have him on their list.
Gruda is not only one of the up-and-coming talents currently playing in Germany, but also a player, who has caught the attention of German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann per Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg:
News Brajan #Gruda | Julian Nagelsmann sees him in the possible squad for the 2026 World Cup!
After the Euro, the 19 y/o top talent from Mainz is expected to get opportunities.
Great for him: next week he gets to train with the national team!
@SkySportDE
How serious is Nagelsmann about Gruda? Well, the German national team boss is going to bring him in to help with things on during the training camp ahead of the EUROs per a release from the DFB (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):
Germany U21 players Brajan Gruda (Mainz) and Rocco Reitz (Gladbach) will train with the senior national team in Blankenhain from 26 to 31 May.
Julian Nagelsmann: “Some of our players will still be playing in the DFB Pokal final and the Champions League final and will join the team later. In order to be able to train optimally in the first period of preparation, we would like to give two young, promising players the opportunity to show what they can do in the senior team. Many thanks to my colleague Antonio Di Salvo for the good exchange and the close cooperation with our U21s.”
If you are not that familiar with Gruda then take a look at this video to get to know him a little better:
Gruda is just the kind of player, who could provide that refresh on the wing position that it seems like Bayern Munich needs at the moment.
So, what do you say Bayern Munich fans — with a market value of €9 million (know that it would likely take at least double that to actually get him), would you take a flier on Gruda?
Poll
Would you spend up €20 million to bring in Brajan Gruda this summer?
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0%
Yes, this kid is electric.
(0 votes)
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0%
Yeah, he looks really good and is worth the risk.
(0 votes)
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0%
I really don’t know.
(0 votes)
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0%
I need to see more from this kid before I invest.
(0 votes)
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0%
Nah, I like the current group of wingers.
(0 votes)
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0%
No way, he will be a bust.
(0 votes)
0 votes total
Vote Now
Bayern Munich’s season might be over, but its offseason is already in full swing.
The coaching search could be over, the roster overhaul could be starting, and fans can only sit and wait for everything to play out.
What do we do in the meantime? Let’s discuss it all!
This is what we have on tap for the episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Bayern Munich seems very close to hiring Vincent Kompany (where have we heard that before? Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick, Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel Roberto De Zerbi…) and why this time, fans should take it very seriously without feeling like Charlie Brown trying to kick that damn football.
- The positives of hiring Kompany — his playing experience, his ability to relate to players, his style preferences match Bayern Munich’s ideals.
- The negatives — no competitive big game experience, has never coached in major competitions for a high profile club, his locker room command might not jibe with the egos and personalities in Munich, and he just got RELEGATED. All that, plus Bayern Munich cannot afford to miss…again…on this hire.
- What’s the Weekend Warm-up’s verdict? Well, this might be a little risky.
- Aside of that, Chris Führich and Theo Hernandez could be on their way to Bavaria, while Jamal Musiala could be on his way out in 2025.
De Jong still on the summer menu
In last week’s edition of the Weekend Warm-up, we covered the rumored wish list for Bayern Munich
Now, Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg is checking in with an update on one of the players referenced last week — FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong:
⤵️ Despite other reports, nothing has changed: Frenkie de Jong remains on FC Bayern’s radar, even for the summer. They are monitoring developments at Barcelona.
But Bayern is not pushing for him at this stage!
As you can see from the results of last week’s poll, De Jong was the player who fans wanted the most from the list of candidates. As of now, though, it is unclear if Bayern Munich will get serious about a pursuit:
Song of the Week: “Seether” by Veruca Salt
Man…I have been going down the 90s rabbit hole of late and it has harkened me back to the 103.9 WDRE days in Philadelphia (the best radio station ever). I had totally forgotten about this gem — “Seether” by Veruca Salt.
The crazy thing about some songs is that you only hear them in a certain era — I cannot recall hearing much of “Seether” after roughly 1997 or 1998 — but when I listened again, it brought my brain right back to those days.
Released in 1994, this one got a ton of airplay as we started to see more female-led alt rock bands burst onto the scene.
Anyway, enjoy my trip back to a glorious time (in my life, late teens, early twenties):
Entertainment Rundown
There is a bad news-good news message here. The bad news is that I have not started Shogun yet…but the good news is that I am starting it this weekend (finally!). In the meantime, here are some shows that are on my list for this summer:
The Boys — Season 4
You know I am a fan and have referenced the trailer here before, so it is definitely on my list:
House of the Dragon — Season 2
I did not want to like this, but damn it, I could not resist and will be back in on it in just a few weeks:
Cobra Kai — Season 6, Part 1
This will be Part 1 of a 3-part ending from what I understand:
Other shows I could check out if I have the time: The Acolyte and Clipped.
Final Prediction Records
This was a terrible season for predictions…
- Bundesliga Last Week in action: 3-6
- Bundesliga Total: 154-145
- DFB-Pokal Total: 1-1
- Champions League Total: 8-4
- DFL-Supercup: 0-1
- Total: 163-151