Frans Krätzig moves from Bavaria to Salzburg – a football dream comes true!

Frans Krätzig moves from Bavaria to Salzburg – a football dream comes true!

FC Red Bull Salzburg has presented an important new signing: Frans Krätzig is moving from Bayern Munich to the Austrian Bundesliga. The 22-year-old has signed a contract until June 2028 and is returning to the league in which he was able to gain experience as a loan player at Wiener Austria in the 2023/24 season. Krätzig most recently played on loan at 1. FC Heidenheim in the Bundesliga, where he impressed in 18 appearances. He will begin team training in Salzburg on June 9 to prepare for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.

Rouven Schröder, Sports Director at Red Bull Salzburg, praises Krätzig's basic football training and his game intelligence. Krätzig himself said he wanted to help FC Red Bull Salzburg achieve its goals. This player change is not only a reinforcement for the team, but also a step in the career of the young talent.

Challenging times for Bayern Munich

While Krätzig's move is a bright spot for Salzburg, FC Bayern Munich is going through a less pleasant phase. The team suffered a heavy defeat in a friendly against Red Bull Salzburg, where they lost 3-0. The goals for Salzburg were scored by Sadio Mane, Jonatan Soriano from the penalty spot and Robert Zulj. This defeat came at the worst possible time, as Bayern coach Pep Guardiola was celebrating his 43rd birthday that day and was heavily critical of his team despite their poor performance.

In this test match, which took place in front of 30,188 spectators, Bayern had to do without several key players. Captain Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribéry were not in action due to minor injuries. In addition, Bastian Schweinsteiger was not included after an injury. Manuel Neuer at least saved a questionable penalty against Kevin Kampl, but this couldn't hide the slumps in the game.

A review of the performance and the challenges

Guardiola expressed his dissatisfaction with his team's overall performance and emphasized that Salzburg were the better team that day. After the game, Thomas Müller warned about the current form and called for a significantly improved performance in the league. This was the first defeat for Bayern since losing the Supercup final against Borussia Dortmund and caused a lot of talk in the media.

While Bayern obviously still need to work on their stability this season, Krätzig could actually be the missing piece of the puzzle in Salzburg to support the club's ambitions next season. Both teams therefore face major challenges, while Salzburg relies on the potential of a promising newcomer and Bayern needs to work on their form.