Leon Goretzka: Aston Villa sign former Bayern Munich midfielder – BBC Sport
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Villa sign Goretzka – what went wrong at Bayern and what will he bring?
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Leon Goretzka played for Bochum and Schalke in Germany before moving to Bayern Munich in 2018
By Constantin Eckner, German football writer
Published 5 minutes ago
Aston Villa have completed the signing of former Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka on a free transfer.
The Germany international, 31, was available after leaving Bayern in the summer after eight years at the club. Villa lost their opening Premier League fixture 4-0 at Brighton on Sunday and are looking to boost their midfield options with Amadou Onana out until next year with a knee injury he suffered with Belgium at the World Cup.
Goretzka made 312 appearances for Bayern, scoring 51 times, during his time with the Bundesliga side. He also has 73 caps for Germany and made three appearances at the World Cup this summer. He won seven league titles and the Champions League in 2020 with Bayern and will bring experience to Villa, who have lost several stars this summer.
Defender Ezri Konsa joined Arsenal for an initial £51m, while forward Morgan Rogers was sold to Chelsea for £117m. Midfield lynchpin Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United in July and left-back Lucas Digne returned to Paris St-Germain earlier this month. Manager Unai Emery has also been unable to guarantee England striker Ollie Watkins will remain at Villa Park beyond the transfer deadline amid interest from Al-Hilal in Saudi.
A move to revitalise Goretzka’s international career?
For years, Goretzka was a cornerstone of Bayern Munich‘s midfield. But in recent years, the record German champions were not hiding their intentions to sell him for the right price. He rejected a loan move to Galatasaray in 2024 while his sizeable wages at the Allianz Arena ruled out a number of potential destinations, as he was reluctant to accept a reduction in salary, and a move never came to fruition. Instead his contract ran out in July, making him a free agent for the summer transfer window.
There was a time when Goretzka was considered Germany’s best box-to-box midfielder. His long build made him a force inside both penalty areas, while his ball-handling and tactical understanding helped him between the boxes. But his athleticism slowly faded over the years and younger players took his place. Last season, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany primarily used Goretzka as a substitute, as did Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann during the World Cup this year. Goretzka made three appearances for his national team, with 96 minutes in total playing time.
It is uncertain whether new Germany manager Jurgen Klopp will select Goretzka for international duty again. A move to Aston Villa could certainly help the 31-year-old to revitalize his career, as he seemed stuck at Bayern where he spent a total of eight seasons.
