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KOMPANY'S CHOICE: BAYERN JOINS RACE FOR BELGIAN STAR NATHAN DE CAT
Bayern Munich are tracking Anderlecht's 17-year-old Belgian midfielder Nathan De Cat. The Bundesliga giants face competition from Dortmund and Leverkusen for the €25m-rated deep-lying playmaker.
Nathan De Cat is a World Class Talent
During the international breaks, there are excessive rumours about transfers. Bayern Munich, however, is keeping a close eye on a few of the youthful talents. Nathan De Cat, a gifted 17-year-old, has piqued the curiosity of the reigning Bundesliga champions.
Florian Plettenberg and Patrick Berger claim that Anderlecht is requesting around €25 million for one of the most talented players in club history. In order to recruit this highly anticipated midfield player, Bayern will have to contend with Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, two other Bundesliga titans.
The Belgian midfielder may eventually take Leon Goretzka's spot at the Allianz Arena when his contract ends next summer.
De Cat is a trigger-happy midfielder with excellent physicality, and he and Goretzka have many face-value parallels. The 17-year-old Belgian wonderkid has a body designed for elite football and is already almost 6'3". However, it would be evident from seeing him play that he resembles Joshua Kimmich more than Leon Goretzka.
Because of his exceptional playstyle, Nathan De Cat is a tactical fit for Vincent Kompany's Bayern.
Nathan De Cat's passing statistics might lead someone to conclude that he is a horrible person. They rank in the bottom 10% of midfielders in the top 14 competitions with just 37 passes attempted per game and a pitiful 72% completion rate.
His tape, however, demonstrates the logic behind these disappointing figures. In any midfield setup, De Cat often sits the deepest and tries a lot of long balls and line-breaking passes to swiftly advance the ball to the opposition's penalty area.
De Cat likes to sit deep in build-up situations, spraying long switches and through balls to set up wingers in high-risk scenarios. Unlike the McTominays or the Fellainis, he is not your classic long, physical box crasher.
This type of play has a price: while taking more chances can result in greater rewards, it also increases the likelihood of errant passes.
Nathan De Cat's game clearly demonstrates the potential in the area of creating opportunities. The young Belgian can develop into one of the most skilled players in the game under the guidance of Joshua Kimmich, one of the top deep-lying playmakers in the world.
De Cat's ability to read the game and make quick decisions is one of its most amazing features.
He can manoeuvre through more confined spaces and disrupt the opponent's pressing strategy thanks to his beautiful first touch and turn.
The Belgian U17 player is at ease making one-touch passes at any distance and enjoys them as well.
Vincent Kompany's quick build-up, which makes extensive use of touch-and-go and one-two punches between players, may be ideal for De Cat.
Nathan De Cat does not contribute particularly well when not in possession, even though he primarily plays as a defensive midfielder in a double pivot at Anderlecht.
When it comes to tackling and intercepting the football, he is subpar. Considering his enormous height, his aerial duels are very lacklustre.
His agility, which occasionally prevents him from tracking back and making turns on the defensive end, is also questioned by some evaluators. He obviously has some trouble keeping an eye on his long physique and making the most of it when playing defence.
Still an untapped skill...
Having said that, for a 17-year-old player, he possesses a remarkably diverse skill set. De Cat will undoubtedly get better in the years to come now that he has some elite experience in the Belgian league.
At this age, he has an exceptional football IQ and is already quite at ease in the modern game.
He is still extremely young, and a good coaching team can readily address his shortcomings.
Imagine the midfield with Pavlovic, Bischof, Musiala, and De Cat. Delicious!
TITLE AMBITION: BAYERN NAVIGATES YOUTH-EXPERIENCE BALANCE, SAYS CHRISTOPH FREUND
Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund confirms the club's strategy is to blend young talents with established stars. He emphasises a "good mix" in the squad is crucial for future success, pointing to Lennart Karl's development.
Young Stars Emerge As Experience Drives Bayern's Title Aspirations
In a recent conversation with Florian Plettenberg from Sky Germany, Bayern Munich's sporting director, Christoph Freund, was asked about integrating young talents into a predominantly experienced team.
While Freund acknowledged the challenges, he also mentioned that the club is effectively managing the situation.
Plettenberg: Several positions within the team are currently occupied, and negotiations for contract extensions are ongoing. You are already scouting potential prospects and operating on the transfer market behind the scenes. Can we reasonably conclude that you are working to strengthen the team in a way that allows younger players to develop alongside more experienced ones? Is actively searching for, identifying, and acquiring talent part of your strategy?
Freund: "Absolutely, that is definitely part of our strategy, and I believe our future must maintain a strong blend and introduce new players. I think what truly matters is the diversity and composition of the squad, which is evident at the moment. We have young talents making impressive strides in their development alongside very experienced players excelling at a high level. However, we must sustain a good mix and structure, and that remains our goal moving forward.
Lennart Karl exemplifies this approach wonderfully, but he will need more time on the field to further his development. The pivotal question will be whether Bayern Munich can continue in this manner and consistently provide opportunities for young players like Karl, or if the situation will become too pressured to keep progressing effectively.
LOAN BACKFIRE: BAYERN SNUBS NICOLAS JACKSON, £70M PROBLEM FOR CHELSEA.
Bayern Munich will not sign Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson permanently, reports confirm. The £56.2m clause requires 40 starts, but with only 5 so far and Harry Kane ahead, Jackson is expected to return to Stamford Bridge next summer.
Jackson Back Next Year - Photo Credit: REUTERS
According to rumours, Bayern Munich has decided how to handle Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson at Allianz Arena, even if they have the opportunity to sign him permanently.
On the day of the summer transfer window deadline, Jackson made a spectacular loan move to Bayern.
Despite Liam Delap's hamstring injury at the time, the 24-year-old insisted on joining the German team, forcing Chelsea to bring up Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland.
The Chelsea-Bayern deal is also highly rare
In addition to the £14.3 million loan fee, the two clubs also agreed to require the striker to make 40 starts during his loan period in order to sign him permanently for £56.2 million, according to German writer Christian Falk via CFBayernInsider.
Falk added that although Bayern does not now want to activate the provision, they do not have any plans to send Jackson back to Chelsea in January.
Jackson has made 12 appearances for Bayern so far in all competitions, but just five of his appearances were as a starter.
This implies that before the rumoured clause takes effect and Bayern is required to contract Jackson long-term, he will need to start 35 more games.
Given that Harry Kane, who has already scored 22 goals for Bayern this season across all competitions, is also a member of the team, the striker's lack of starts makes perfect sense.
Jackson, by contrast, has only scored three goals for Bayern thus far.
Furthermore, according to the source, Bayern has begun to pursue other possible striker targets, including Franculino Dju of FC Midtjylland and Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus.
Jackson will therefore probably rejoin Chelsea at the end of the current campaign.
Maresca's remarks regarding Jackson
Naturally, there is a chance that Blues head coach Enzo Maresca may consent to include the former Villarreal striker in his team again for the upcoming campaign.
Nevertheless, it appears from Maresca's most recent statement that he did not want three strikers vying for his team's starting position.
In September, the Italian responded, "Because we signed two strikers," when asked why Jackson had left.
"Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. I believe that two strikers is a sufficient quantity. This is the cause.
Also, keep in mind that Chelsea has two young strikers who are eager for opportunities: Tyrique George and Guiu.
"I expressed my gratitude to Nico the other day," Maresca continued.
"After he departed the club, I texted him to wish him luck and to thank him for the previous season. Nico is a decent man. He did a terrific job dealing with us.
This might be a long-term problem until the club finds a solution, as Jackson signed a new contract with Chelsea last year that ties him to the team until 2033.
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