Report: Jamal Musiala to be a mainstay in Bayern Munich’s lineup

From 27 appearances across all competitions, Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala has already tallied a total of 14 goals and 10 assists, which is comprised of a Bundesliga third-best for goals (10) and fifth-best for assists (6). Without question, he has been on of Bayern’s most productive attacking players this year and he was one of very few bright spots for the German national team at the World Cup in Qatar, despite them failing to make it out of the group stages yet again.

His solo effort and goal in the 4-2 win over VfL Wolfsburg encapsulates part of what makes him such a tantalizing talent. He picked up possession closer to half field than he did Wolfsburg’s box, changed direction, accelerated with the ball close to his feet, burned defenders, created a half yard of space for himself, and buried his finish in the bottom left corner, providing Bayern with a three-goal cushion at the time.

Because of how effective he’s been for Bayern, per new information from Sport1, Julian Nagelsmann and the club’s front office are in agreement that Musiala should, and will be, a mainstay in the starting lineups. In the past, Nagelsmann had been more open to relegating the youngster to Bayern’s bench after less effective performances, but that won’t as much be the case moving forward. Weaker performances are to be sporadically expected in his current trajectory and development. “Such a young player will always have fluctuations in performance. But Jamal is one of the best footballers we have in the squad,” club president Herbert Hainer recently said.

In the opening three Bundesliga matches of 2023 that were 1-1 draws against RB Leipzig, FC Koln and Eintracht Frankfurt, Musiala did not show quite as well for himself, but re-instilled that pre-existing level of trust with his dominant performances in the 4-0 win over Mainz (DFB-Pokal) and the 4-2 win over Wolfsburg. He scored a goal in both of those wins and was ever-present in Bayern’s attacking moves.

In the win over Mainz, Nagelsmann had switched to a back three system and then reverted to a back four against Wolfsburg and has reportedly been having lots of one on one conversations with Musiala to help him tactically in both systems. On current evidence, it’s clear that these conversations have been productive. Naturally, with how well he’s continue to develop, it should come as no surprise that Bayern’s front office is already proactively planning to offer Musiala a contract extension with a significant salary increase. His current contract runs through June 2026 and he currently earns eight million euros per year plus bonuses.