Bayern Munich Roster Series: Central midfielders

Last season, Bayern Munich’s midfield struggled to find the proper balance between attacking and defending. They would dominate for 15 minutes and then sit on their heels for the next 15 minutes. Moving forward, Vincent Kompany must find the correct combinations and adjustments to solidify the position.

#6 Joshua Kimmich

2023/24 Stats: 43 matches, 42 starts, 3,485 minutes, 2 goals, 9 assists

Financials: €50M market value, €19.5M salary, 1 year remaining on contract

Origin Story: €8.5M transfer from Stuttgart in 2015

Scheme Fit: Guaranteed Starter. Kimmich is one of Bayern’s most versatile players and early reports show that Kompany plans to start Kimmich in the midfield. He can shine as a world class player as the pivot midfielder, defensive midfielder, or right-back.

#16 João Palhinha

2023/24 Stats (with Fulham): 39 matches, 36 starts, 3,229 minutes, 4 goals, 1 assist

Financials: €55M market value, €12M salary, 4 years remaining on contract

Origin Story: €51M transfer from Fulham in 2024

Scheme Fit: Starter. After a failed transfer last summer, Palhinha finally made it to Bayern. He is the purest number six on the roster and won’t be expected to play anywhere else. If he can integrate himself properly, he will also be a guaranteed starter by the end of the season.

#8 Leon Goretzka

2023/24 Stats: 42 matches, 35 starts, 3,105 minutes, 6 goals, 9 assists

Financials: €30M market value, €18M salary, 2 years remaining on contract

Origin Story: Free transfer from Schalke in 2018

Scheme Fit: Solid contributor. Goretzka is the oldest member of this group (by two whole days). After a devastating omission from Germany’s EURO 2024 squad, he rejected a potential transfer this summer and openly declared that he wanted to fight for his spot. He’s a prototypical box-to-box midfielder who fights for every loose ball.

#27 Konrad Laimer

2023/24 Stats: 43 matches, 28 starts, 2,717 minutes, 1 goal, 4 assists

Financials: €30M market value, €9M salary, 3 years remaining on contract

Origin Story: Free transfer from Leipzig in 2023

Scheme Fit: Solid contributor. Laimer played more positions than anyone else on Bayern’s roster last season and this campaign should be no different. He often gets stuck with an off-the-ball marking assignment of the opponent’s best midfielder. A classic team-first guy, he will do anything to get on the field and has to be dragged off every match.

#45 Aleksandar Pavlović

2023/24 Stats: 22 matches, 16 starts, 1,434 minutes, 2 goals, 2 assists

Financials: €30M market value, €1.8M salary, 5 years remaining on contract

Origin Story: Academy product; promoted from FC Bayern II in 2023

Scheme Fit: Solid contributor. Pavlović made his senior debut last October, but still led the team with six yellow cards. He’s known for his bruising style and high pass completion percentage. With the rest of the central midfield nearing their thirties, he will certainly earn more minutes this season to keep everyone healthy.

#36 Noël Aséko Nkili

2023/24 Stats: matches, starts, minutes, goals, assists

Financials: €7.50k market value, undisclosed salary, 2 years remaining on contract

Origin Story: Promoted from FC Bayern II in 2024

Scheme Fit: Prospect. A defensive midfielder, Nkili will most likely stay with the Bayern II side for another season and only be called up as a sub for emergency situations or early DFB-Pokal Cup matches.