Arijon “Ari” Ibrahimović has always been one of the most highly rated youngsters at the FC Bayern campus, tipped almost immediately after his arrival from FC Nürnberg at 12 as one of the two top young talents of Bayern Munich, alongside Paul Wanner.
True to his potential, Ibrahimovic rose through the ranks at Bayern and joined Frosinone Calcio last season, with the newly promoted Serie A club securing a buy option of about €3 to €4 million. However, Ibrahimović never truly established himself in the side and left as Frosinone refused to pay the money to keep him.
That is why his turn of fortunes for the new season is rather surprising. Bayern Munich’s official website revealed that Ibrahimović had renewed his contract with the Bavarian giants, with the news being supplemented with Christoph Freund’s statement: “Arijon Ibrahimović was able to gain valuable experience at the age of just 17 last season — not just on the pitch — at Frosinone Calcio, in one of Europe’s top leagues. That’s brought him on enormously and now he’s getting the chances to impress in our first team. Arijon can play in every position in attack, has a strong mentality and always a good drive towards goal. He came to the FC Bayern campus aged 12 – we’re delighted with how he’s progressed.”
The question that is absolutely impossible to escape is this: Is he truly ready yet? With Bayern Munich standing on the potential signings of Michael Olise and Xavi Simons, two forwards, one could also question if there will be space in the squad for the youngster.
However, Ibrahimović seems unperturbed by the challenge ahead: “I’m delighted to extend my contract at FC Bayern and to be back home – I’ve played for this club since my youth. The season in the Italian Serie A brought me forward as a person and footballer and I learned a lot. Now I can’t wait to get started here. I want to keep improving, give everything for my team and the club, and win lots of titles with FC Bayern.”
The potential to improve and compete in Bayern’s first team squad is clear. The question is, is bringing Ibrahimović in now giving him the platform he needs to succeed?
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