Booting out, advisor separations – and a recommendation from Ivica Olic: Gabriel Vidovic before leaving Bayern?

Just a few months ago, Gabriel Vidovic was considered one of Bayern Munich’s most promising talents. Recently, however, the 19-year-old offensive player had one setback after the next.

At the FC Bayern Munich team presentation on Sunday, Gabriel Vidovic walked in with the 32 on his back. It’s the third number in his fairly short career as a professional at FC Bayern, for whom he’s been playing since he was twelve.

Vidovic made his first competitive appearances for the Bundesliga team in the 2021/22 season at the age of 38. However, Ryan Gravenberch, who was new to Ajax Amsterdam at the time, took over last summer. Vidovic then chose the 28, which was grabbed by central defender Tarek Buchmann during his loan to Vitesse Arnhem.

Now the 32. It seems extremely unlikely that Vidovic will ever wear it in a competitive game for FC Bayern.

Started strong, faded sharply: Vidovic’s Vitesse loan

As recently as last summer, the then sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic praised: “Gabriel proved with his good performances in preparation that he is rightly in our professional squad.” On the third matchday he was actually used against VfL Bochum. In the hope of regular match practice at a high level, however, he went on loan to the Dutch first division club Vitesse Arnhem, where things initially ran promisingly for him.

In the first half of the season, Vidovic was regularly in the starting XI and gained experience in various positions: he played on the left wing, in attacking midfield or as a center forward. “My goal is clear: I want to recommend myself to Bayern Munich,” Vidovic told the Croatian newspaper in February Vecernji list.

From this point on, however, he was not allowed to start once again for Vitesse, it was only enough for short assignments. The next setback followed at the U21 European Championships in June: the native of Augsburg failed with the Croatian selection in the preliminary round, played a total of only 85 minutes and remained goalless.

Gabriel Vidovic: Disembarked at the training camp at Tegernsee

Angered by the course of the loan, Vidovic forced a change of consultant in the spring. He left the relatively small agency of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s son Roman, which also looks after the next big Bayern talent, Yusuf Kabadayi. Instead, he joined Sport360 from Volker Struth, the adviser to then coach Julian Nagelsmann. From Vidovic’s point of view, things went badly: connections to the Rummenigge family are now more valuable at FC Bayern than to Nagelsmann.

Nagelsmann’s successor Thomas Tuchel doesn’t seem to think too much of Vidovic. Just like Arijon Ibrahimovic, he was surprisingly missing from the squad for the training camp at Tegernsee. Only when Thomas Müller, who had already left, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Mathys Tel were injured in the 27-0 win against FC Rottach-Egern did Tuchel bring the two talents back – otherwise he would not have had enough players for the planned six-a-side tournament.

According to information from SPOX and GOAL, Vidovic can now also take part in the Asia trip that begins this Monday. However, he does not seem to have any prospects with the professionals. Meanwhile, assignments for the fourth-rate reserve should hardly appeal to him himself. At the season opener on Friday against Wacker Burghausen (3:3) he was not in the squad.

FC Bayern: Ivica Olic suggests immediate change to Gabriel Vidovic

According to reports, Vidovic wants to leave the club by 2025 despite the current contract. His compatriot Ivica Olic also recommends an immediate change. The former FC Bayern player is now the assistant coach of the Croatian national team.

“Definitely,” Olic replies in an interview SPOX and GOAL when asked if he would recommend Vidovic move. “I hope he finds a club where he gets match practice.” Olic had heard “a lot of good things” about Vidovic from Croatia’s U21 national coach Dragan Skocic: “He’s a huge talent. I hope that one day he’ll play for us in the senior national team. If he moves to a good club, we’ll definitely keep an eye on him.”

Incidentally, Struth will no longer worry about a possible transfer: after only a few weeks of cooperation, Vidovic and Sports360 recently parted ways again. The 19-year-old is currently not only looking for a new club, but also for a new agent. So far there have been no concrete rumors about potential buyers.

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