Bayern Munich have announced the exit of Oliver Batista-Meier. The youngster has joined Heerenveen in a season-long loan deal in search of regular game-time. Batista-Meier’s exit comes only a few days after Bayern confirmed the departure of Ivan Perisic, who has returned to Inter Milan, following the end of his loan spell.
Batista-Meier’s Story At Bayern
Batista-Meier joined FC Bayern back in 2016, in a half a million move from 1.FC Kaiserslautern. The young attacker has since enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in the club’s youth departments, notably being promoted to the reserve side last summer.
As a result, Batista-Meier was given the opportunity to play in 3.Liga last season and he didn’t disappoint either. He featured in 18 games, taking part in five goals while the winger scored 12 goals in 11 matches in the U19 Bundesliga.
Such performances did not precisely help him earn a formal professional contract with Bayern’s senior team. But, he did make his Bundesliga debut back in March, featuring as a substitute against Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Did He Have A Future In Bavaria?
Following his impressive performances in the lower leagues, Batista-Meier was certainly given an elevated status in the club’s pre-season preparation, along with the likes of Joshua Zirkzee. Unfortunately, very few academy players have managed to break into Bayern’s first team in recent years.
Especially in the attacking department, the Bavarians have a wealth of quality options, and while the departure of Perisic and Philippe Coutinho did weaken the squad, the European champions have managed to secure the services of Leroy Sane.
The Manchester City ace should be an undisputed starter for Bayern next season, along with some of the existing stars including Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman. Hence, it was always going to be very difficult for Batista-Meier to gain a more prominent role in the first-team.
A Move To Heerenveen Makes Sense
Eredivisie has always been an attractive destination for young players and Batista-Meier, in that regard, should also enjoy playing in the Dutch top-flight next season. It would help him gain some much-needed experience at the highest level of football.
More importantly, the German starlet will have a realistic chance of making a breakthrough at Heerenveen. While Arjen van der Heide is a guaranteed starter, Batista-Meier can definitely compete with Mitchell van Bergen for a place in the starting lineup, and it will be interesting see to how he performs in the Netherlands next season.
