Wanner is struggling: career break for ex-Bayern talent | OneFootball

Originally hailed as a mega-talent from the club’s own youth ranks, Paul Wanner turned his back on FC Bayern in the summer after loan spells in the Bundesliga 1 and 2. The German-Austrian attacking player was supposed to take the next step in his career at PSV Eindhoven – so far, his move to the Netherlands has been more of a step backwards

The path from FC Bayern’s youth ranks to the professional ranks is a tough one. Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Josip Stanisic and Lennart Karl, who recently caused a sensation, are among the few examples from the record champions‘ current professional squad who have achieved this feat. The list of those who have not been able to establish themselves despite a promising future is much longer

The 19-year-old Paul Wanner could now join the latter list

A look back: Proclaimed an exceptional talent, the German-Austrian made his Bundesliga debut for FC Bayern in January 2022 at the age of 16 years and 15 days against Borussia Mönchengladbach, replacing none other than Jamal Musiala as the youngest Munich player in history in the top flight

Loans to SV Elversberg and 1. FC Heidenheim allowed Wanner to gain valuable match practice and prove his talent at times. With the move to PSV Eindhoven for a handsome €15 million transfer fee, Wanner decided to leave the German record champions for good in the summer and subsequently earned criticism from them

First big promises, then a benchwarmer in Eindhoven

Given the venerable shirt number 10, the talented player was made attractive promises by coach Peter Bosz in Eindhoven. The hopes of both player and club were high

photo: IMAGO

In mid-November, the situation was different: Wanner played just 139 minutes in seven games – six times he was completely benched. According to sport.de, there is no improvement in sight, especially as PSV, the leaders of the Dutch Eredivisie table, are also shining without Wanner in the starting eleven

„Things are certainly going slower than he had hoped,“ coach Bosz assessed Wanner’s situation to Dutch broadcaster NOS, but at the same time encouraged the German youth international: „I know that we’re talking about a young man who comes from abroad and has to adapt first. That’s not a bad thing at all – and he’s doing brilliantly, by the way.“

At the tender age of 19, Wanner still has a lot of potential and can learn from this setback. The coming months will show whether he can regain his old strength in Eindhoven or whether his career move abroad was a mistake.