During a press conference for FC Bayern Munich, coach Vincent Kompany expressed his admiration for the DFB-Pokal semi-final match between VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg.
«When you watched the game yesterday, you saw how much quality there was,» the Belgian enthused ahead of the German record champions’ away fixture against 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Kompany specifically highlighted three players who particularly impressed him on Thursday evening. «One always thought that England bought a lot of quality away from Germany. But what is happening now in Germany? You have a (Yuito) Suzuki (SC Freiburg), (Johan) Manzambi (SC Freiburg), or (Bilal) El Khannouss (VfB Stuttgart) on the field. There is a new generation of top talents in Germany again.»
Kompany further stated that the Bundesliga and its clubs can only benefit from such a high concentration of young, developing players. «Football is being played. Both teams gave their all.»
He also noted that the daily competition in the German top flight is anything but easy for his Bayern team: «Being successful in this league is not easy, and remaining successful is also not easy.»
Manzambi: A Target for FC Bayern Munich?
Suzuki, Manzambi, and El Khannouss have all developed into important key players for their respective clubs this season. In particular, the Swiss player Manzambi is having an outstanding season, contributing 13 goals and assists in 41 games, making him one of the Bundesliga’s rising stars.
Recently, there have been rumors that FC Bayern Munich is interested in him. As a trained central midfielder who can perform defensive duties and pose an attacking threat, Manzambi would be an ideal replacement for Leon Goretzka, who is set to depart in the summer.
Freiburg has the 20-year-old under contract until 2030. As he does not have a release clause, a transfer this summer, in particular, would be costly for any interested clubs. It is understood that SCF is demanding at least 30 million euros for their top talent.