There are currently five FC Bayern Women players out on loan at clubs across Europe aiming to gain further match practice and continue their development in Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir, Natalia Padilla-Bidas, Cecilía Rán Rúnarsdóttir, Jill Baijings and Momoko Tanikawa. fcbayern.com checks in on the loanees to see how they’re getting on.
Rech: “Best possible chances to develop”
Bianca Rech, FC Bayern Women director: “A loan can be an integral part of a young player’s development. It gives them the possibility to continuously gain match practice at a high level and develop. That’s incredibly valuable and important at their young age. As a club, we want to offer them the best possible chances to develop in this way.”
Francisco De Sá Fardilha: “In constant contact with all players”
Francisco De Sá Fardilha, FC Bayern Women technical director: “We’re in constant contact with all players to support them in the best possible way and follow their development. Loans give them an excellent opportunity to gain match practice in a professional environment. We follow their efforts very closely throughout the season. Caring for our loan players is hugely important for us.”
FC Bayern Women’s players away on loan:
Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir (Bayer Leverkusen, Google Pixel Bundesliga)
Vilhjálmsdóttir is in the second season of her loan at Leverkusen, having agreed a contract extension at Bayern through to 2026 in the summer and extending her spell at the Werkself. The 23-year-old forward scored five goals and provided seven assists in the Bundesliga as Leverkusen finished sixth last season. They kicked off this campaign with a 3-2 win away at Freiburg, with Vilhjálmsdóttir setting up two of the goals.
Natalia Padilla-Bidas (Sevilla, Liga F, Spain)
After spending last season on loan at Köln, Padilla-Bidas is now in Spain for the year with Sevilla in the top flight Liga F. The Spanish-born Poland international played 18 times in the 2023/24 Bundesliga, scoring two goals and providing one assist. The 21-year-old got her first goal for her new club in a pre-season friendly against Benfica.
Momoko Tanikawa has been on loan at Rosengard since the start of the year. | © Imago
Momoko Tanikawa (Rosengard, Damallsvenskan, Sweden)
Although the new campaign in the Bundesliga only kicked off last week, Tanikawa is deep into her season with Rosengard. The 19-year-old Japanese midfielder has been with the Swedish record champions since the start of the year, making her mark with an impressive haul of 14 goals and an assist from 15 competitive appearances.
Cecilía Rán Rúnarsdóttir (Inter Milan, Serie A Femminile, Italy)
After recovering from her knee injury, Rúnarsdóttir joined Inter Milan on loan for the 2024/25 season. The 21-year-old goalkeeper enjoyed two impressive friendly wins during pre-season over Brescia (3-0) and Grasshoppers (7-1), but the Nerrazzurre also lost 2-1 to Genoa. However, the Icelander kicked off the new Serie A Femminile season with a 5-0 victory over Sampdoria.
Jill Baijings (Aston Villa, Women's Super League, England)
Baijings will spend the season on loan in England at Aston Villa, having made 14 appearances (two goals) in the Bundesliga for Bayern in 2023/24. The Netherlands international will work under compatriot Robert de Pauw, who joins the Women’s Super League club from Bayer Leverkusen. They begin their campaign away at champions Chelsea on 20 September.
Bayern kicked off the new Bundesliga campaign with victory in Potsdam:
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