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It was not long after he signed a deal with Bayern Munich that Fiete Arp was making a strong summer impression under Niko Kovac, playing in preseason games, and proving his mettle at both wing and striker.
Though it was clear that Arp still had parts of his game to fine-tune, his future looked extremely promising.
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Since then, however, Arp has had a calamitous journey on Säbener Straße marred by injuries, illnesses, and inconsistency. Arp was out 90 days in the 2019/2020 season with three separate injuries and an intense sickness.
Bild filed a report (behind the Bild+ paywall), that paints a bleak picture for the 21-year-old’s future with Bayern Munich. Per Bild, Arp is resigned to the role of being a reserve for Bayern Munich II, is struggling with his confidence, and might already be looking toward next season — where he could be wearing a different club’s kit.
Worse, Bild indicated that there are some within Bayern Munich who do not believe Arp will be able to break through at the club. If neither the player, nor the club, are confident in his ability, this could be the stretch run of Arp’s stay with the Bavarians — assuming the report is true.
Prior to the season, Arp was said to have had a strong summer, but it was determined via a joint decision by the player and the club for him to play a full season in 3.Liga in hopes of being fully ready for the first-team roster in 2021/2022.
Real Madrid star Marcelo on Jann-Fiete Arp: „He is a good player and has a gigantic career in front of him. I like fearless and cheeky footballers like him.“ [@kessler_philipp] pic.twitter.com/jOse1KfNvb
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) August 14, 2019
After a good start, Arp — like the rest of the team’s offense — was unable to sync up and find cohesion on a consistent basis. To say this group has had some ill-fitting pieces offensively would be an understatement. The talent was there, but not the ability to play as a unit.
Arp also suffered a torn muscle fiber in February, which derailed his season once more. Now back with the squad, Arp is finding it hard to make an impact.
After appearing in one DFB-Pokal match for the senior-team, Arp has played in 22 games for Bayern Munich II and registered just three goals and two assists.
Still young, there is time — and hope — for Arp to regain his confidence and realize the potential that so many saw in him. The big question is, however, will he be able to make that attempt at a career revival in Munich?
Bonus Section
I’ll just save you all the trouble now...
Anyway, we’ll always have this legendary moment...
A little throwback to Arp vs Marcelo
— jonas⁴² (@GoatZirkzee) May 26, 2020
• Defending isn’t entirely dependent on your physical skill set https://t.co/d89kVwe28c pic.twitter.com/Th96DSjRuY
...and these sweet free kicks from this season:
ARP!!! WHAT A GOALpic.twitter.com/XF0RRLjDFb
— Motzi¹⁵ (@BrazzoFCB) October 2, 2020
#ArpTrain hitting another free kick. Knotted at the half. pic.twitter.com/w8NhtECNob
— The Barrel (@TheBarrelBlog) December 19, 2020