Bayern's future under question mark: Experience is precious, but you guys are old

Football experts used to say that the best teams are those with the balance of youth and experience. Old hands provide the essential maturity, while the youngsters add a perfect amount of energy and enthusiasm to the mix.

However, that recipe for a perfect old-to-young ratio is often tricky to carry out, and if one side prevails, a team has a problem. Aware of that, many Bayern Munich fans are wondering what will happen with their club, specifically its future.

Last season, the Bavarians had the oldest starting lineup in the Bundesliga, with an average age of 30.5. Seven players were 25 or younger in their squad, excluding the teenagers who clocked 72 minutes in total in the previous campaign.

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With the age limit lowered to 22, only Jamal Musiala (22), Aleksandar Pavlovic (21), and Manuel Neuer's understudy Jonas Urbig (soon to be 22) remain notable Bavarians' players.

For instance, arguably the four strongest European teams at the moment, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain, each had double-digit young players on their teams. And not the ones warming the bench for the tired old hands, but those playing vital roles.

But that's all the past. What about the future? (Hint: It doesn't look too bright for Bayern, either.)

Bayern's only hopes for the future: Pavlovic and Musiala (©IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Katie Stratman/Gallo Images)

Namely, the four aforementioned clubs have been active during the ongoing transfer windows, signing some quality and - most importantly for this topic - young players.

Liverpool brought in Milos Kerkez (21), Florian Wirtz (21), Hugo Ekitike (23), and Jeremie Frimpong (24). Barca have already had a strong core of youngsters, but still refreshed their ranks between the posts by signing the 24-year-old Joan Garcia since Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczesny are 68 combined.

Even Real Madrid, which was considered a traditionally old team in the past, made a U-turn with the 22-year-olds Eduardo Camavinga, Raul Asencio, and Jude Bellingham. Their recent transfer moves just proved this tendency, as they added Dean Huijsen (20), Gonzalo Garcia (21), and Alvaro Carreras (22).

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Finally, the Parisians probably have the most talented group of youngsters in the world, embodied in Desire Doue, Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, and Co. and that youth is what brought them the European crown.

But what have Bayern been doing in the meantime?

They signed the 29-year-old Jonathan Tah and the 20-year-old Tom Bischof, who won't have much playing time next to Harry Kane, that's for sure.

Other than that, they have been after players like Luis Diaz (28), Christopher Nkunku (27), Rafael Leao (26), and Kaoru Mitoma (28). The only prospect they are interested in is the 23-year-old Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade.

During the previous season, the Munich side brought Eric Dier (30), Joao Palhinha (29), and a set of players under 25. Urbig and Hiroki Ito combined for 20 appearances, while Bryan Zaragoza and Armindo Sieb were loaned to Osasuna and Mainz, respectively.

To make matters worse, both Ito and Zaragoza, as well as the 24-year-old Sacha Boey are now close to the exit door of Allianz Arena!

The only young reinforcement who got an actual chance was Michael Olise.

Joshua Zirkzee, Mathys Tel, and Ryan Gravenberch (among others) were all at Bayern and decided to leave, aware that the club didn't trust the youngsters. Now, they are all at the Premier League "Big Six" teams, Man United, Tottenham, and Liverpool.

In all honesty, the Bavarians did try to bring Wirtz, Dani Olmo, Cody Gakpo, and now hope for Nico Williams or Malick Fofana, but they either already failed or will fail in pursuit of their signatures.

And the reason behind that is simple, painful and cruel: Why would a youngster choose the club that doesn't trust its youth?

It's great to have Neuer, Kane and Joshua Kimmich, but a club that doesn't invest in its future cannot hope for success.