Leon Goretzka will return to Aston Villa, forcing him to miss the German Olympic Sports Confederation’s [DOSB] key meeting on Saturday.
The Germany international spent his entire playing career in his country before joining Aston Villa in the summer.
He spent eight years at Bayern Munich and left them as a free agent at the end of last season. This allowed the Premier League side to secure his services for nothing in August.
The midfielder is yet to make his debut for the Europa League winners as he’s been on the sidelines with an injury.
Aston Villa debut delayed
Earlier this month, Sport Witness covered a report from Germany explaining that the 31-year-old will only return after the international break.
Leon Goretzka took advantage of the break and made a trip to Munich for Oktoberfest. He seemed to have reunited with some of his former Bayern Munich teammates.
On Saturday, DOSB are holding a meeting to vote on Germany’s bid for a future Olympic Games. That’s according to Welt, who states the Aston Villa player is a personal DOSB member. This makes him eligible to vote tomorrow.
Earlier this week, he said: “Berlin is our capital, Munich has become extremely dear to me over the last eight years, and North Rhine-Westphalia is my home. Now I’m looking forward to the evaluation reports and will then calmly decide which concept convinces me the most.”
However, Goretzka won’t take part in Saturday’s meeting because Unai Emery’s side have recalled him. The Villans ‘want him in rehab’ and work on his recovery.
‼️ Welcome to INTERNATIONAL BREAK BINGO
🇫🇷 Will there be French mutiny?
🇦🇷 Should we expect Argentina tears?
❓Who will say something stupid and claim mistranslation?
🩺 Which big new signing will get injured?
▶️ Play along… 👇https://t.co/J3ZDwQEYs4— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 24, 2026
Aston Villa decision makes sense
He arrived at Villa Park on August 27th, meaning the German didn’t have a pre-season.
Sports science specialist Markus Schauer has already warned that Leon Goretzka needs time to settle in at Aston Villa.
He said: “If a player misses a full preseason, he doesn’t necessarily lack fitness, but possibly the gradually built-up tolerance for precisely these repeated high-intensity activities.”
The Europa League winners want Goretzka to focus on regaining full fitness and return to the pitch quickly. Taking his injury, timing of his arrival and current situation into account, the Villans’ seem to have made the right call to recall him immediately.
