Former prospect takes off: Did Bayern blow it with this sale? | OneFootball

Maurice Krattenmacher is causing a sensation in Elversberg and even scored against FC Bayern. Was selling the 21-year-old the right decision?

Of all teams, it was against his former club that Maurice Krattenmacher made his next big impact. In SV Elversberg’s 1-2loss to FC Bayern, the 21-year-old scored the temporary equalizer with a spectacular long-range shot. It was already his third Bundesliga goal of the still-young season.

Just a week earlier, Krattenmacher had scored twice after coming off the bench in the spectacular 4-3 win in Mönchengladbach. The attacking player, who made a permanent move from Bayern to Elversberg this summer for around two million euros, seems to have found exactly the environment he needs for his development at the newly promoted club.

His former club has also taken note of his progress. “He seems to be on a roll right now. He’s scoring one beautiful goal after another,” praised Max Eberl after the head-to-head matchup.

Krattenmacher is on fire in Elversberg

The fact that Krattenmacher scored against Bayern of all teams inevitably raises a question: Shouldn’t the youngster have been given a chance in Munich after all?

It’s not quite that simple to assess. Krattenmacher was with Bayern for two years but never played in a competitive match for the first team. After a successful loan spell at SSV Ulm, last season at Hertha BSC was significantly more disappointing, with just two goals and one assist.

At the same time, the competition at FC Bayern is fierce. With Lennart Karl, Elversberg even has another young attacking talent whom Kompany is currently fielding regularly with the first team. It’s simply impossible to give all these talents enough playing time at the same time for their development.

Krattenmacher himself recently explained why the move to Elversberg was important to him: “Of course, it’s every young player’s dream to play for FC Bayern. But especially at my age, it’s crucial for me to be on the field regularly so I can continue to develop. That’s why I’m convinced that Elversberg is exactly the right place for me right now.”

Photo: IMAGO

This is precisely the dilemma of Munich’s youth development strategy. Bayern wants to develop as many young players as possible at a high level. Some make the leap to the first team, while others are expected to find their way into professional soccer through loans or transfers. In addition to Krattenmacher, the club also generated transfer revenue this summer with talents such as Noel Aseko, Jonah Kusi-Asare, Jonathan Asp Jensen, and Wisdom Mike.

The fact that individual players subsequently flourish at other clubs is part and parcel of this model. In Krattenmacher’s case, there’s the added factor that, according to consistent reports, Bayern has secured a buyback option.

Whether Bayern made the right decision regarding Krattenmacher cannot yet be definitively assessed after just three Bundesliga matchdays. However, his dream start shows that, as part of its talent strategy, Bayern must also learn to let go—even if it sometimes hurts.