New mindset, new chances: why Bayern star Gnabry is shining again | OneFootball

Those pronounced dead live longer – hardly any sentence describes Serge Gnabry’s current situation at FC Bayern better. In recent transfer windows, the national team player was repeatedly considered a candidate for sale. According to internal deliberations, Bayern’s decision-makers could have imagined a departure both in the summer of 2024 and 2025 – if there had been a serious offer. But none came, nor did the player have any desire to leave Munich.

Gnabry feels comfortable in Munich and, after years of criticism, wanted to prove himself again. At the start of the new season, he set himself the goal of showing all the skeptics that he still belongs to the sporting elite of the record champions – and, incidentally, to put himself in line for a new contract. His current deal runs out in the summer of 2026.

Gnabry finds himself in the No. 10 role – but very differently from Musiala

Ten competitive matches have been played, and the first interim report is positive: three goals, four assists, and a central role in Vincent Kompany’s team. Gnabry is a regular starter again – and in a position that actually belongs to Jamal Musiala. The youngster is out with a fibula fracture, and Gnabry is making impressive use of the opportunity in the attacking center.

Photo: IMAGO

He interprets the role very differently from his young teammate. While Musiala operates more as a dribbler and ball magnet, Gnabry plays with more variety and range. He drifts out to the wings more often, looks to combine with Michael Olise, and repeatedly pushes into dangerous half-spaces. This unpredictability is one of the main reasons for his rediscovered form.

Kompany’s system lets him flourish

Gnabry’s resurgence is also due to Vincent Kompany’s new tactical approach. The Belgian has made Bayern’s attack more mobile and fluid. Constant positional rotations, high pressing, and creative freedom in the final third suit players like Gnabry.

Instead of operating as a classic No. 10 fixed in the center, he benefits from interplay with Harry Kane, who repeatedly drops from the front into midfield. This creates spaces that Gnabry can move into – sometimes as a finisher, sometimes as a creator. His pace, instincts, and finishing ability thus come to full effect.

New fitness, new mentality – and new opportunities

The 30-year-old looks fitter, more alert, and more determined than in recent years. Where he was previously accused of lethargy, he now shows high work rate and improved pressing. Mentally, too, Gnabry seems to have taken a step forward: he has taken the criticism to heart and is working harder on himself.

If he can maintain this form over the season, Gnabry could go from a sale candidate to a contract-extension candidate. The conditions are in place – athletically, physically, and mentally.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.