Southampton have been made to lament losing this amazing talent since he left as a youngster.
Southampton has earned a reputation as a breeding ground for youthful talent, with Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Gareth Bale, and Theo Walcott all bursting onto the scene in the men’s game after beginning their careers at St. Mary’s.
Even now, Russell Martin has a variety of dynamic players at his disposal on the South Coast who are attempting to assist the Saints earn an immediate promotion back to the Premier League.
Raw talents like Samuel Edozie, Shea Charles, and Sekou Mara, all 21 years old or younger, are playing significant parts in Southampton’s entertaining brand of football in the Championship, alongside more experienced first-team players like Adam Armstrong and Jan Bednarek.
However, the Saints occasionally allow a top young talent slip through the cracks, as was the case with one former academy player, who now has the world at his feet while playing in Europe.
Jamal Musiala’s beginnings at Southampton
Surprisingly, current Bayern Munich standout Jamal Musiala was formerly on the books with Southampton in their academy system before progressing to greater heights.
This was back in 2010, when the Saints signed the German superstar as a wonderkid after he left his home nation for better prospects.
His stay at St. Mary’s would be short-lived; he was only on Southampton’s youth roster for one season before Chelsea signed the wide-eyed attacker. The rest, as they say, is history from the Saint’s perspective.
When looking back at Musiala’s humble beginnings with the Championship club, no one could have predicted that he would go on to become the unbelievable talent he is today, leaving Martin’s men to wonder what could have been if Chelsea hadn’t stepped in and snatched him away from them as an unassuming boy.
Jamal Musiala’s rise to stardom
Musiala would only make three appearances in the Stamford Bridge youth divisions before being scouted by Bayern, with the German club only paying a £170,000 compensation fee to lure the teenager to the Allianz Arena in 2019.
As much as Southampton must be devastated by the circumstances surrounding Musiala’s departure, Chelsea must be furious at losing the fully-fledged Germany international, given how much his transfer worth has increased since relocating to Bavaria.
𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 🎭
Take a bow, @JamalMusiala 👏🌹 pic.twitter.com/A1bOonKKek
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) March 19, 2024
The 21-year-old forward isn’t the only noteworthy name Chelsea has released who has gone on to become great footballers, with Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, to name a few, tearing it up as world-class talents since leaving the Blues.
Musiala, who switched national allegiances after joining the Bundesliga titans in Germany from England, has never looked back since.
He is now just as important to Thomas Tuchel’s team as £100 million talisman Harry Kane.
Musiala began his career in the Bayern II side but was swiftly promoted to the senior squad when the German giants recognized how talented he was.
Jamal Musiala’s increased transfer value in 2024
Musiala now has an astounding 43 goals and 30 assists in 156 appearances for Bayern, despite being only 21 years old.
Musiala has been dubbed a “one-of-a-kind” talent by ex-Bayern and Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, and his deftness on the ball to twist and turn opponent defences for pleasure has earned him the moniker “Bambi” from his adoring fans in Europe.
As shown in the table above, Musiala’s importance to his Bundesliga employers has only grown as he gained confidence in strutting his stuff and displaying his incredible abilities, which have resulted in an exponential increase in his transfer worth.
In just five seasons, the once-unproven talent has gone from costing £170,000 to being worth a staggering €96.7 million (£83 million) according to Football Transfers, making him Bayern’s second most valuable player, just behind the aforementioned ex-Tottenham Hotspur machine Kane.
To put Musiala’s rise to popularity into context, Southampton’s most valuable player, former Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, is worth €20.6 million (£18 million).
It would cost an exorbitant amount of money to get Musiala back to England to dazzle Premier League defences, but with reports from Bavaria indicating that the 21-year-old just rejected a new deal in Munich, it may happen soon.
Without a doubt, mega-rich Manchester City will aim to sign the present Bayern Munich number 42 in order to strengthen their position as a force to be reckoned with.
Musiala’s future in Munich
At the end of the day, the £82.4k-per-week guy is currently a regular in Tuchel’s starting lineups, so all of this might be unfounded speculation.
However, there will undoubtedly come a moment when the Germany international dreams of lighting up the Premier League after making the Bundesliga his playground at times in recent seasons.
Pep Guardiola’s side would undoubtedly be the frontrunners to sign him, with Musiala’s current transfer fee ranking him as Man City’s third most costly asset, trailing only Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.
If all goes as planned and Musiala does end up sending shockwaves through the footballing world with a move to the Etihad, the 21-year-old superstar may even face Southampton, who will be able to see how much of an exceptional talent their former academy player has become in person.
