In an explosive interview with De Telegraaf (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch made it extremely clear that if his situation does not change, that he wants out of the club.
“I just want to play more, preferably at Bayern. Otherwise at a club where I’ll 100% play. That’s my preference. I don’t want to have another year like the one I’ve just had. I really learned a lot from it. But I just want to play football,” Gravenberch said. “I haven’t really spoken to the coach about that yet, that will happen after the (U-21) Euros when I’m back from Georgia and Romania. Then we’ll see how things are.”
Gravenberch was especially unhappy under former coach Julian Nagelsmann. The Dutchman could not understand why the former boss would keep him on the bench without even a substitute appearance for stretches.
“I thought: seriously, what is this? I had expected I would get more chances and minutes than I eventually got. I had done a very good preseason and thought I deserved it,” Gravenberch said.
Under Thomas Tuchel, Gravenberch was somewhat happier.
“In the last two months, I played more minutes than in the entire period before. That left me with a good feeling,” Gravenberch said about the period where Bayern Munich almost coughed up the Bundesliga title and was eliminated from the DFB-Pokal and Champions League.
BFW Analysis
This is not the first time that Gravenberch has aired his grievances to the media without approaching the club. Perhaps an acceptable (but not ever well-received) approach for a disgruntled star player angling for a new contract, this is a massive gaffe for a youngster looking to just breaking into a team.
Moreover, this sort of behavior is extremely immature and shows that despite his talent, Gravenberch has much growing up to do when it comes to his mentality (especially when comparing his actions to how Mathys Tel has approached his own situation on the bench at Bayern Munich).
This interview — maybe more than the handful of others he has already given on the topic — will likely get the attention of Bayern Munich’s executive suite. Petulance and immaturity are not great traits to have for any player on a roster, let alone the fourth or fifth best midfielder.
At some point, this will illicit a response from the Bayern Munich coaches and front office — we just do not know whether or not it will be in the form of a punishment or if this will ultimately expedite the rumors that the club would consider selling him during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool FC and Manchester United have been linked to Gravenberch.