Grant-Leon Ranos has proven his goal threat in the reserve in the Bavarian regional league, but will leave FC Bayern Munich in the summer. As with many young hopefuls, the 19-year-old striker with senior national team experience has a problem with his prospects.
Grant-Leon Ranos recorded 20 goals and ten assists in his 34 regional league games for Bayern Munich reserves this season. Values for which one has been compared to Robert Lewandowski. Values that no striker in the professional team even comes close to. In the past few weeks, 19-year-old Ranos has also been able to present himself in professional training, but so far he hasn’t made it into the squad.
There’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Mathys Tel and all the flexible wingers. A new star striker is to come in the summer. There is talk of a 100 million euro transfer, and famous strikers such as Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani are under discussion.
According to information from SPOX and GOAL meanwhile not extend and leave Munich. According to reports, there are some interested parties.
A return to his ex-club Hannover 96, where he was last traded, is out of the question for him. Born in Lower Saxony, he played for Hanover until 2017, before moving to FC Bayern U16s after a year at Borussia Dortmund and moving to the newly built campus.
FC Bayern: Lack of prospects for young hopes
“Grant has developed well this season in the Bavarian regional league. He’s our top scorer, but he’s also very valuable to the team as a preparer,” said reserve coach Holger Seitz SPOX and GOALS. The 1.80 meter tall Ranos convinces with good technique, but according to Seitz he could be “even more callous in front of the goal” despite his impressive goal rate. In general, his coach believes “that he can make it into professional football”.
FC Bayern would like to keep Ranos, but cannot offer him any convincing prospects. As with Gabriel Vidovic, the top scorer from the previous season, Ranos was given the prospect of preparation with the professionals under coach Thomas Tuchel and a subsequent loan.
After a good start at the Dutch first division club Vitesse Arnhem, Vidovic has had a mixed bag of late, with his last start from February. The 19-year-old will return to Munich in the summer before being loaned out again or sold.
The situation of young hopefuls like Ranos or Vidovic is complicated at FC Bayern: The fourth-class regional league is boring after one season at the latest, the leap to the professionals is too big. A small improvement in the problem would be a recent missed promotion of the reserve to the 3rd division.
FC Bayern Munich and the partnership with LAFC
The team also failed this season in sporting terms, but could still unexpectedly make it into the relegation games against the champions of the Northeast season – probably Energie Cottbus. Both the already established champions SpVgg Unterhaching and the second-placed Würzburger Kickers are plagued by financial problems, the reserves of FC Bayern are ready to move up in third place.
Irrespective of this, FC Bayern wants to offer talented players on their way to the pros a few clear intermediate jump platforms in the form of partner clubs. The Munich team recently entered into a youth cooperation with MLS club Los Angeles FC and founded a joint venture called “Red & Gold Football” for this purpose. Other partner clubs will soon join the construct, most recently the LAFC announced a cooperation with Wacker Innsbruck from Austria.
But Ranos also gained international experience without any involvement from FC Bayern: In March he made his debut for the national team of Armenia, the country of his ancestors, and promptly scored a brace in the 2-2 win against Cyprus. “It was great days in Armenia. The whole team gave me a very warm welcome and made it very easy for me to settle in,” said Ranos at the time. In the near future he should also have a period of acclimatization at a new club.
