Where does Tom Bischof fit into the midfield puzzle at Bayern Munich?

Bayern Munich has been linked to Tom Bischof since his days in Hoffenheim’s youth setup, and his transfer to Bayern Munich was announced six months ago. Despite not yet having played a match for Bayern, many fans are already quite familiar with the player.

Once touted as the next big attacking midfielder in German football, questions were raised as to how Bischof might one day fit in at Bayern Munich with the likes of Jamal Musiala vying for the same position. At the time, Thomas Müller was also seen as an obstacle to get past if a player in that position was to find his way into the starting eleven.

Given time, the Bischof positional problem seems to have solved itself. As captured by @iMiaSanMia, Bischof shared his positional journey over the years, saying: “I used to play in a more attacking position. Now, at [the] professional level, playing at #6 and #8 has been very beneficial for me. I feel comfortable everywhere centrally. But I see myself at #6 and #8.”

So, problem solved, right? Well, not exactly. Bayern Munich isn’t short of quality options in the #6 or #8 roles either, with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Aleksandar Pavlović, João Palhinha, Konrad Laimer, and even Raphaël Guerreiro having occupied at least one of those roles in recent years. Fans have even seen players like Ryan Gravenberch and Angelo Stiller move on due to a lack of first-team minutes. If Bischof wants any serious playing time next season, he’s going to have to really impress Vincent Kompany and the coaching staff at Bayern Munich.