“I’m absolutely thrilled to be getting this opportunity here, to be able to play for the biggest club in the world. I definitely want to make the most of this chance and I’m incredibly happy. Now I want to give it everything in every training session,” Arijon Ibrahimović had said back in July. At the time, he was dreaming of making the breakthrough at Bayern.

Christoph Freund also gave him hope: “It’s no longer just about learning for him now — now it’s about making a real push here at FC Bayern.” At that point, the record champions issued a press release saying that the Munich club fully intended to include the 20-year-old in their plans. The sporting director was especially pleased with how much he had learned during his loan spell at Heidenheim, “so that he is now ready for FC Bayern.” He was reportedly meant to serve as backup for Luis Díaz.

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But anyone looking at the Bundesliga squads after the first three matchdays will notice that Ibrahimović is nowhere to be found at Bayern. Instead, he shows up at FC Augsburg. So much for “making a push.”

So why the sudden change of course after less than two months? “He is a young player with great potential, and at this stage he needs regular playing time. He will get that at FC Augsburg, and we will continue to support him closely along the way,” Freund explained as to why, in the end, it was not enough for Bayern. The club had therefore sat down with the attacking player and “agreed” that another loan move was the best option.

Whether Ibrahimović was really that convinced is questionable. According to a report by ‘Sport1’, he was said to have been “extremely irritated.” His agent, Roman Rummenigge, also reportedly felt “blindsided” when Max Eberl publicly announced at a press conference that the club was now open to a loan after all: “If something happens that becomes concrete and could be interesting for both sides, we would be open to it.”

Atalanta Bergamo and Werder Bremen were also reportedly interested in him, but in the end FCA got the deal. According to media reports, they also secured a purchase option worth eight million euros. According to Bild, Augsburg’s bosses had had their eye on the attacker for quite some time.

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Ibrahimović then marked his debut straight away with a goal against Eintracht Frankfurt (4-1 win). He was also in the starting lineup against Leverkusen (2-2) and helped Augsburg to a successful start to the season.

As for his loan move, he only commented in Augsburg’s press release using the usual phrases often heard from new signings. He spoke of an appealing challenge at an ambitious Bundesliga club. “I also want to keep developing and get plenty of playing time. That’s why I want to settle into the team as quickly as possible and do my part for a successful season,” Augsburg also quoted him as saying. He likely kept the rest to himself.

For now, the dream of immediately establishing himself at the “biggest club in the world” has turned into a detour via Augsburg. But if everyday life there continues to consist of starts and goals, Arijon Ibrahimović is unlikely to mind. Even without fine words from the club’s leadership. And on Säbener Straße, they may then have to ask themselves whether abandoning that promise of “making a push” was perhaps a little premature after all.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.