Meet Dale Jennings & more – the young Bayern Munich targets abroad

FEATURE
By Jonathan Birchall, Simon Sinclair & Clark Whitney

In recent months, Bayern Munich have been closely linked with no fewer than four young attacking talents. In April, the Bavarians were in talks with Osijek striker Dino Spehar, according to the player’s agent and father. Since then, Japanese winger and striker Takashi Usami has emerged as an almost certain transfer; his signing is expected in mid-July.

And now, over the last week, those close to Dale Jennings and Toni Vastic have confirmed that the Allianz Arena outfit are on the verge of signing the duo, who currently ply their trade in England. On Thursday, Tranmere Rovers coach Les Parry revealed Bayern bid for Jennings; six days prior, Vastic and his agent revealed that a deal was set to be completed, pending Blackburn Rovers’ consent to release the player.

The question naturally follows: will Bayern sign four similar players? The answer is not clear, but it is entirely possible.

While Usami is expected to join the first team as an inexpensive and qualified replacement for injury prone wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, the younger and less experienced Jennings, Vastic, and Spehar are all candidates to play with the reserves. FC Bayern II were relegated to the Regionalliga Sud after a 20th-place finish in the 3rd Liga last year; their failure was a wake-up call that the side need some fresh blood heading into the new campaign.

Spehar has made 15 appearances for Osijek, but having only turned 17 years old in February, he is only just beginning to discover himself as a player. He has not been linked with Bayern in almost three months, and may well be passed on for a later date.

The same goes for Vastic, who impressed at LASK Linz’s academy before moving to Blackburn as a 16-year old. The Austria native only made one appearance for the Rovers’ reserves last year, and is largely an unknown quantity. He does boast a considerable pedigree, however: the 18-year old is the son of Austria legend Ivica Vastic.

Jennings, by contrast, will turn 19 before the year’s end and has had more time to develop and showcase himself. After being released by Liverpool as a youngster, he moved to Tranmere at the age of 15 and broke into the first team last September. Over the course of the season, he made 29 appearances in League One, scoring six goals.

Despite his slight stature, the 1.70 metre tall Jennings is capable of playing as a centre forward. However, he is most often utilised in wide areas, and his ability to use both feet make him useful on both flanks. Known for his versatility and touch, the 18-year old has been likened to Joe Cole, but distinguishes himself with a very direct style of play. Jennings has caught attention from Everton, Fulham, Sunderland, West Brom, and on Friday, West Ham joined the list of potential suitors after allegedly making a €2 million (£1.77m) bid for the player.

With the more established Usami on his way and Nils Petersen already set to take on the role of Bayern’s young substitute striker, Jennings will undoubtedly begin his time in Munich as a reserve player, should he join. However, following the promotion of Thomas Muller and Holger Badstuber, as well as the run of success many Bayern players have had during loan spells, he will undoubtedly have his chances should he complete his transfer.