Frans Krätzig open to possible loan move away from Bayern Munich, also open to staying

After a strong preseason capped by a volley goal against Liverpool, Frans Krätzig has gone one to feature five times for Bayern Munich’s senior squad so far this season. From those appearances, the 20-year old has tallied one goal and an assist, both of which came in the DFB-Pokal; in the 4-0 win over SC SC Preußen Münster and the shock, 2-1 loss to FC Saarbrücken.

Despite the number of injuries Thomas Tuchel has had to deal with in his defensive line, Krätzig has still found minutes to come by. At the left back spot, he is behind Alphonso Davies and even Bouna Sarr in the pecking order. Tuchel opted to start Sarr at left back in Bayern’s 4-2 over Heidenheim since Davies started from the bench, but Krätzig was an unused substitute. In the Bundesliga, he has only featured in the 7-0 win over VfL Bochum, the 3-0 win over SC Freiburg, and the 8-0 win over Darmstadt. Case in point, Tuchel has only brought him on in situations where Bayern was already winning by multiple goals and well in control of the match. There might not be that full level of trust yet from the manager.

Because of his lack of minutes, Krätzig is open to perhaps getting loaned to another club during the January transfer window, but he is also ready to remain professional and fight for his place if he winds up staying at Bayern. Injuries can certainly happen, and there could be a need for him if certain circumstances arise.

“If Bayern still need me in the second half of the season, I’ll be at the door at 7AM when training restarts. If something changes and my prospects of playing time decrease, a loan could also make sense. But I’m not thinking about that at the moment. The focus is on development and game time,” the youngster recently explained to Sport Bild’s Tobi Altschäffl (via @iMiaSanMia).

Tuchel has made it clear he wants to sign a defensive midfielder during the winter transfer window, but he also has expressed the club’s need to try to sign a defender. The club was even entertaining the idea of signing Jerome Boateng as a free agent, which was not very well received by the majority of the of Bayern fans due to the center back’s off-pitch legal issues. Regardless, it is clear that Tuchel and Bayern will be exploring defensive options in the winter, which could only further diminish Krätzig’s chances of getting more time.