Bayern Munich loan watch | OneFootball

Bayern Munich loan watch: 9 future stars shining in the Bundesliga and abroad

Toni Kroos made his breakthrough at Bayer Leverkusen, Phillip Lahm at VfB Stuttgart and David Alaba at Hoffenheim: Bayern Munich have a successful past when it comes to sending players on loan with a view to becoming the club's next stars.

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And with Paul Wanner and Alexander Nübel among a number of players at other clubs in 2024/25, we take a look at how they got on.

Paul WannerAge: 19Position: Attacking midfieldOn loan at: Heidenheim

Famously Bayern’s youngest-ever player when he debuted at 16 years and 15 days in 2022, the now-19-year-old looks ready to be a top flight regular.

Starting with a goal and assist in his league debut for Heidenheim against St. Pauli on Matchday 1, Wanner quickly established himself as a regular under Frank Schmidt, starting all 10 of the team's first Bundesliga outings of 2024/25, and 15 of 17 in the first half of the season.

Krätzig played 16 times in the Bundesliga for Heidenheim in the second half of 2024/25. (DFL/Getty Images/Sebastian Widmann)

However, as Heidenheim began to feel the strain of midweek fixtures in the UEFA Conference League alongside their weekend Bundesliga duties, Schmidt often opted for more experienced players to cope with the load.

Wanner only made four league starts in the second half of the season, but still ended up with three goals and two assists from 29 appearances, as well as gaining valuable experience in seven Conference League outings.

So impressive was Wanner been that both Austria and Germany are fighting over him. A Germany youth international who was born in Austria, the country’s coach, Ralf Rangnick, commented in November: "I am in regular contact with Paul, and had a long phone call with him two weeks ago.” The man who gave him his Bayern debut, Julian Nagelsmann, is fighting just as hard, though, saying: “He is firmly in our plans.”

Alexander NübelAge: 28Position: GoalkeeperOn loan at: VfB Stuttgart

Nübel has just finished his fourth season on loan from Bayern since his 2020 move to Munich from Schalke. Having spent his first two years away as Monaco’s No.1 in Ligue 1, the 28-year-old quickly made the Stuttgart starting berth his own too.

In his first campaign Nübel backstopped Stuttgart to a runners-up Bundesliga finish ahead of parent club Bayern and he quickly went from a potential star to one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Responding to his displays, in April 2024 Bayern handed the Paderborn native a new long-term contract until 2029, which included two more years at Stuttgart.

Record breaker Adu is certainly a name to remember. (IMAGO/Sven Leifer)

Nübel did not miss a single minute of Bundesliga action in 2024/25, keeping seven clean sheets along the way, in addition to helping Stuttgart reach the DFB Cup final.

His impressive displays also earned him a maiden call-up to the senior Germany squad, and he made his debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2024, showing that he’s more than ready to step in for Manuel Neuer for both club and country when the legendary shot-stopper eventually hangs up his gloves.

Bryan ZaragozaAge: 23Position: Left wingerOn loan at: Osasuna

Initially signed for the 2024/25 season, Zaragoza arrived ahead of schedule in January 2024 as a response to a long-term Kingsley Coman injury, but the Spaniard struggled for minutes, only featuring seven times in the season run-in under Thomas Tuchel, starting just once.

Back in his home country on loan at Osasuna, the former Granada man has shown how effective he can be with regular minutes, recording a goal and six assists in 26 La Liga appearances.

Zaragoza’s form not only helped Osasuna become La Liga’s surprise package this season with a ninth-placed finish, he was also been rewarded with a return to the Spanish national team, giving Bayern plenty of hope that he’ll be ready to go upon his return to Munich.

Armindo SiebAge: 22Position: ForwardOn loan at: Mainz

Much like Wanner, Sieb swiftly become a regular at Mainz and featured in 27 of their games, starting five, and scoring twice in important wins over St. Pauli and Augsburg to ultimately help the side finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League.

Having joined Bayern in 2020 from Hoffenheim's youth academy, Sieb graduated to the first team with a single appearance, but has spent the majority of his career on loan, initially with Greuther Fürth.

He enhanced his reputation there across two seasons between 2022 and 2024, contributing 16 goals in 63 Bundesliga 2 appearances.

Mathys TelAge: 19Position: ForwardOn loan at: Tottenham Hotspur

Frenchman Tel joined English Premier League side Tottenham in January in search of more regular minutes, and duly found them under Australian coach Ange Postecoglou on both the left wing and at centre-forward.

The teenager scored his first Spurs goal in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and added Premier League strikes in back-to-back games against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The forward also made five appearances for Spurs in the UEFA Europa League and was an unused substitute in the team's final triumph over Manchester United.

Lovro Zvonarek Age: 20Position: Attacking midfieldOn loan at: Sturm Graz

Joining Austrian champions Sturm Graz at the start of 2024/25, Zvonarek could have had some legitimate fears about game time for such a well-oiled team, but Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund was confident, saying: “He’s a very exciting player who has everything he needs to make it in professional football.”

Freund was been proven right. Zvonarek featured in 22 games, registering two goals and an assist to show that he’s more than ready for the big time.

Frans KrätzigAge: 22Position: Left-backOn loan at: Heidenheim, previously at Stuttgart

The left-back made his professional debut for Bayern in 2023/24 and scored a goal in his seven appearances in all competitions - even featuring in the UEFA Champions League - before a loan to Austria Wien for the second half of the campaign.That was followed by a switch to Stuttgart at the start of 2024/25, but after featuring just once in the Bundesliga and twice in the DFB Cup in the first half of the season, the Germany U21 international's loan was cut short before he was sent out to Heidenheim for the remainder of the campaign.

Under Schmidt, Krätzig gained far more experience, featuring in 16 Bundesliga games and scoring once.

Gibson AduAge: 17Position: ForwardOn loan at: SpVgg Unterhaching

The youngest goalscorer in the history of Germany’s third division at the age of 16, surpassing Jamal Musiala and David Alaba, Gibson Adu was snapped up by Bayern from SpVgg Unterhaching in summer 2024 and instantly sent back on loan.

A striker with bags of potential, Adu is by far the youngest player on this list, and likely has the longest wait to make it at Bayern. With just eight appearances in the third tier this season, Munich’s bosses will be keeping a careful eye on how he progresses.

Maurice KrattenmacherAge: 19Position: Attacking midfieldOn loan at: Ulm

Like Adu, Krattenmacher swapped third-tier Unterhaching for Bayern last summer but, unlike the forward, did not immediately return there on loan. Instead, the attacking midfielder jumped up a league to continue his education at second-tier Ulm.

While his adopted club struggled in Bundesliga 2 and were ultimately relegated, Krattenmacher was one of their most consistent performers, weighing in with three goals and eight assists in 32 league appearances.

That did not go unnoticed by the powers-that-be at Bayern, with sporting director Christoph Freund acknowleding that the youngster had "developed very well, as we hoped he would." Indeed, so impressive was his progress that Bayern recalled him from the loan to form part of their squad at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the USA in June and July.

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