Musiala's Return, Freund's Future, and Kane's Champions League Ambitions
Jamal Musiala finally stepped back onto a Bundesliga pitch last weekend. It felt less like a simple substitution and more like a small, cautious victory.
The 23-year-old came on for Lennart Karl in the 57th minute of Bayern’s 0-0 draw at Schalke, his first competitive minutes of the season. The game itself was flat. Musiala was not. Even though little truly clicked for him on the ball against the promoted side, he buzzed around, threw himself into duels and looked physically ready for the fight again.
That alone mattered.
This was his first appearance since Bayern pulled him out of action a few weeks ago after two alarming collapses in friendly matches, triggered by a neurological dysfunction. The diagnosis cost him a Supercup trip to Dortmund against Borussia Dortmund (2-1), the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart (5-1) and the DFB Cup first-round tie at VfL Osnabrück (3-1).
After Schalke, Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl underlined how carefully the club had handled the situation. The club, he explained, had deliberately given Musiala the calm he needed, adjusted his medication and only cleared him once doctors, coaching staff and the player himself were convinced he was ready. From Bayern’s point of view, once he is in the squad, he is a full option again – a match-winner they want back on the pitch as quickly as is sensible.
The key word is “sensible”.
According to Bild, Bayern will not throw Musiala straight into a 90-minute workload. The plan is to increase his minutes step by step, with regular breaks built in to control his strain. All of it will run through close coordination with coach Vincent Kompany. Bayern know what he can do in full flow, but they also know they cannot afford another setback with one of their most important players.
Freund in the Balance
While Musiala eases his way back, another key figure at Säbener Straße is weighing his own future.
As reported by the Münchner Abendzeitung, Bayern want to tie down sporting director Christoph Freund beyond his current deal, which runs until 2027 – ideally before the club’s annual general meeting in November. After chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen and board member for sport Max Eberl both committed their futures past next summer, the club hierarchy now wants to secure the third pillar of its sporting leadership.
Freund, though, is said to be in a “consideration phase”. One factor, according to AZ, is the future of chief scout Nils Schmadtke. Like Freund, Schmadtke is under contract until 2027 and is regarded as close to Eberl. Should Schmadtke depart, Freund would have the chance to appoint his own chief scout, someone aligned fully with his vision.
The dynamics behind the scenes are delicate, but the overall direction is clear. The signs still point to an extension. Freund enjoys a strong reputation at the club, particularly for his work around the Campus and youth development structures. His relationship with Kompany is also described as very good. Bayern want continuity in the sporting department while the squad evolves on the pitch.
Kane’s Unfinished Business
On the pitch, one theme dominates Bayern’s season: the Champions League. For Harry Kane, it is an obsession.
The 33-year-old striker made it plain before Bayern’s group-stage opener against Bodö/Glimt on Thursday evening on TNT Sports. After last season’s agonising semi-final exit to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern are chasing their seventh European crown – and Kane is convinced they are close.
He pointed to “small details” as the difference last season. That is the margin he wants Bayern to overturn now. The message inside the dressing room is blunt: this year has to be their year.
Kane also knows the Champions League is not a straight meritocracy. The best team does not always win. You need moments to break your way, a slice of fortune at the right time. His challenge to himself and his teammates is to become the side that forces those moments, that finds the extra inch required to get over the line in May.
This is why retirement talk has no place in his plans. Not yet. The England captain still has gaps on his CV he intends to fill – with Bayern and with the national team. After a season in which he scored a remarkable 73 goals for club and country, he wants to stretch this peak for as long as his body allows.
For Bayern, that is the core of the project: a fully fit Musiala returning to rhythm, a settled sporting hierarchy with Freund potentially locked in, and a world-class striker who refuses to see his window closing. The question now is whether all of that can finally converge into the trophy that has eluded them since Lisbon in 2020.
