Bayern's Next Phase: Musiala's Return, Freund's Future, and Kane's Champions League Ambitions

Jamal Musiala is back in a Bayern shirt, but not yet back to full throttle.

On Saturday at Schalke, the 23-year-old stepped over the white line for the first time this season, replacing Lennart Karl in the 57th minute of a laboured 0-0 against the promoted side. The game never caught fire. Musiala did.

Even without the decisive dribbles or the trademark final pass, he looked sharp. Lively between the lines, aggressive in duels, physically present. For Bayern, after the last few weeks, that alone was a relief.

This was his first competitive appearance since he was pulled out of action following collapses in two friendlies, triggered by a neurological dysfunction. The diagnosis stopped everything. Bayern reacted, and Musiala disappeared from the matchday squads.

He missed the Supercup in Dortmund against Borussia Dortmund (2-1), the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart (5-1) and the DFB Cup first round at VfL Osnabrück (3-1). Three games, three wins – but always with the feeling that something, or rather someone, was missing.

After the draw at Schalke, Bayern’s board member for sport Max Eberl explained the internal process.

“After the incidents, we gave him some of the calm he needed,” Eberl said. The club adjusted his medication, consulted doctors, coaching staff and the player himself. Only when everyone agreed he was ready did they clear him to return.

The message from Eberl was clear: Musiala is not coming back as a fringe option. “That’s why he is absolutely an option and will be brought back in straight away when he is in the squad. We’re happy to have Jamal back, that he decides matches for us.”

The club, though, will not simply throw him into the fire.

According to Bild, Bayern have mapped out a step-by-step comeback plan. Musiala is expected to “get more minutes step by step”, with planned breaks built in to manage his workload. No rushing, no unnecessary risk. Every increase in playing time will be coordinated closely with coach Vincent Kompany and the medical department.

Bayern know what Musiala can do when he is fully fit. The challenge now is to make sure he stays that way.

Freund in Demand – and in “Consideration Phase”

While Musiala eases his way back onto the pitch, another key figure at Bayern stands at a contractual crossroads.

As reported by the Münchner Abendzeitung, the German champions want to extend the deal of sporting director Christoph Freund, which currently runs until 2027. Ideally, they want it done before the annual general meeting in November.

The club hierarchy has already moved on two central positions. Chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen and board member for sport Max Eberl have both committed their futures beyond next summer. Bayern now want to complete that leadership triangle with Freund, the Austrian architect working largely in the background.

But Freund is not simply signing on the dotted line. According to AZ, he is in a “consideration phase”.

One key factor: the future of chief scout Nils Schmadtke. Like Freund, Schmadtke is under contract until 2027 and is regarded as a close confidant of Eberl. If Schmadtke leaves, the door opens for Freund to appoint his own chief scout, someone who fits his vision and working style.

Inside the club, the signals still point towards an extension. Freund’s work is said to be highly valued, especially around the Campus and youth development. His reputation remains strong, his eye for talent trusted. Crucially for the current project, his relationship with coach Vincent Kompany is also described as very good.

Bayern want stability at the top. Whether Freund signs on Bayern’s timeline or his own could shape how that stability looks.

Kane’s Unfinished Business: “It Has to Be Our Year”

On the pitch, Bayern’s obsession is clear. It has a name, a trophy shape and a floodlit anthem.

Harry Kane has set the tone before the new Champions League campaign, which starts for Bayern on Thursday night (9pm, DAZN) against Bodö/Glimt, broadcast on TNT Sports. The striker is not hiding his ambition.

“We are very close,” the 33-year-old said ahead of the group opener. Last season, Bayern fell in the semi-finals to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. The margins hurt. “Last season, small details made the difference. We are going into this season and saying: It has to be our year.”

Bayern are chasing their seventh European Cup/Champions League crown. The hunger has only grown since that exit to PSG.

Kane knows this competition rarely rewards only the best football. He underlined that reality: in the Champions League it is “not just about being the best team. Sometimes you also need the necessary luck at the right moment.”

The question, he said, is whether Bayern can find “that small difference that is necessary to progress and win the Champions League.” That is his target. It is also, he stressed, the target of the entire squad.

His own motivation remains sky-high. Retirement? Not a topic.

“There are still things at club level that I want to win. The same applies to the national team,” said the England captain, who scored a staggering 73 goals for Bayern and England last season. That return underlines why he feels far from finished.

“For me, it’s about savouring this moment for as long as possible,” he added.

So Bayern move into autumn with a clear picture. Musiala is being carefully rebuilt, Freund weighs up his long-term role in the sporting structure, and Kane stares straight at the Champions League, convinced that the window for this team is open right now.

The only question is whether Bayern can turn those aligned ambitions into the one thing the club still craves most: another night on Europe’s biggest stage with their name on the trophy.