FC Köln head coach explains Bayern Munich loanee Felipe Chávez’s lack of playing time…again

COLOGNE, GERMANY - MARCH 21: Felipe Chavez of 1. FC Köln plays the ball during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach at RheinEnergieStadion on March 21, 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

(Photo by Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/Getty Images) | Getty Images Felipe Chávez perhaps did not get a lot of playing time at Bayern Munich this season, but what he did show was fairly impressive. Manager Vincent Kompany even brought the 18-year-old onto the field in a loss to FC Augsburg, underlining the faith the Belgian had in the youngster. It would be this exposure to the Bundesliga that put Chávez on the radar of some clubs, with Köln the team that eventually signed the Peruvian international on loan as he looked to take the next steps in his development by playing regularly at a high level.

But, clearly, Köln did not get memo. In the months he has been at the club under both former Köln manager Lukas Kwasniko and current manager René Wagner, Chávez has made no starts and has accumulated just 62 minutes from a possible 900 total. Surely both Bayern and Chávez expected more from this loan.

Asked about the youngster in a press conference ahead of a Bundesliga clash against Bayer Leverkusen, Wagner gave a very vague answer: “Felipe gives it his all in every training session, he’s a young player and has high quality with the ball. All the guys who haven’t been in the starting lineup lately are throwing themselves into it,” Wagner attempted to explain, as captured by @iMiaSanMia_GER . “That’s why the decisions aren’t easy for the coaching team.