Musiala's Return, Freund's Future, and Kane's Champions League Ambition

Bayern Munich’s week has been shaped as much by caution as by ambition. On one side, Jamal Musiala is feeling his way back after a frightening spell on the sidelines. On the other, Christoph Freund weighs up his long-term role in the club’s power structure. And in front of it all, Harry Kane stares straight at the Champions League and refuses to think about stopping.

Musiala back on the pitch – but on a tight plan

At Schalke, the scoreboard stayed blank. The story did not.

In the 57th minute of the 0-0 draw against the promoted side, Jamal Musiala stepped over the white line and back into competitive football for Bayern. The 23-year-old came on for Lennart Karl and, even in a game that never really opened up, he brought a spark: lively movement, sharp intent, strong in the duels. The final pass and the breakthrough were missing, but the energy was unmistakable.

This was no routine substitution. It was his first appearance since Bayern had pulled him out of action weeks earlier after he collapsed in two friendlies, incidents traced back to a neurological dysfunction. The diagnosis stopped everything. Musiala missed the Supercup in Dortmund against Borussia Dortmund (2-1), the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart (5-1) and the DFB Cup first-round trip to VfL Osnabrück (3-1).

“After the incidents, we gave him some of the calm he needed,” Bayern’s board member for sport Max Eberl said after the match in Gelsenkirchen. The club adjusted his medication, monitored his condition and only cleared him once doctors, coaching staff and player all agreed he was ready. “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 temptation would be to throw him straight into the centre of everything. Bayern are resisting that urge.

According to Bild, Musiala’s comeback will be managed with precision. More minutes, yes – but “step by step”. Planned breaks, controlled workloads, no unnecessary risks. Every decision will be made in close consultation with coach Vincent Kompany. Bayern want the old Musiala back, the match-winner Eberl talked about. They just want to make sure they keep him.

Freund in a “consideration phase” as Bayern look for stability

While Musiala is being phased back on the pitch, Bayern are working behind the scenes to lock in their sporting leadership.

As reported by the Münchner Abendzeitung, the club want to extend the contract of sporting director Christoph Freund, which currently runs until 2027, and they would prefer to do it before the annual general meeting in November. With chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen and Max Eberl already committed beyond next summer, Bayern see Freund as the final piece in a long-term sporting triumvirate.

The club’s stance is clear. Freund’s is more nuanced.

AZ describe the Austrian as being in a “consideration phase”. One key factor: the future of chief scout Nils Schmadtke. Like Freund, Schmadtke is under contract until 2027 and is viewed as a close ally of Eberl. If Schmadtke leaves, Freund would have the chance to appoint a chief scout who fits his own vision. That possibility is part of his calculation.

Inside the club, the signs still point towards an extension. Freund enjoys a strong reputation, particularly for his work at the Campus, where his influence on youth and structural development is valued. His relationship with Vincent Kompany is also described as very good – an important detail at a club where harmony between coach and sporting management can define entire seasons.

Bayern want continuity in the boardroom as much as they crave trophies on the pitch. The decision now rests with Freund.

Kane’s unfinished business with the Champions League

If Musiala’s story is about careful steps and Freund’s about strategic choices, Harry Kane’s is blunt and simple: he wants the Champions League. Now.

Before Bayern’s group-stage opener against Bodö/Glimt on Thursday night (9pm, DAZN) on TNT Sports, the 33-year-old striker left no doubt about his target. “We are very close,” he said, reflecting on last season’s near-miss. The semi-final defeat to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain still stings. “Last season, small details made the difference. We are going into this season and saying: It has to be our year.”

Bayern, six-time winners of Europe’s premier competition, are chasing title number seven. Kane, still without a Champions League trophy in a career loaded with goals, knows the margins at this level.

In this competition, he stressed, it is “not just about being the best team. Sometimes you also need the necessary luck at the right moment.” The challenge, as he framed it, is whether Bayern can find “that small difference that is necessary to progress and win the Champions League”. That, he said, is his goal – and the goal of the entire squad.

It is also why he refuses to talk seriously about retirement. Kane, captain of the England national team, still sees too much left to win. “There are still things at club level that I want to win. The same applies to the national team,” he said. Last season he scored an extraordinary 73 goals for Bayern and England combined, a number that underlines both his form and his obsession. “That’s why, for me, it’s about savouring this moment for as long as possible.”

Bayern’s present is a blend of risk management and ruthless ambition: Musiala being eased back, Freund weighing his future, Kane demanding Europe. The question now is whether that mix produces the stability and edge required to turn “very close” into a Champions League parade.