Brighton and Hove Albion rival Bayern Munich for £30m Bundesliga star: 'The Boy's A Bit Special'

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Said El Mala is being chased by practically every elite club in Europe right now, which means if you're Bundesliga side Köln, you're rubbing your hands together

Said El Mala - The Boy's A Bit Special
Said El Mala - The Boy's A Bit Special (Image credit: Future)

Signed for a measly £300k in summer 2024 from third tier Viktoria Köln, the Bundesliga outfit took a punt on the teenage winger who'd broken into the Viktoria first-team on the back of an impressive and very impactful season in the U19 Bundesliga West.

Köln couldn't register him in their squad for the 2024/25 season due to a transfer embargo, so he was sent back on loan to Viktoria, with whom he'd enjoy a breakout campaign, two divisions below.

Bayern face transfer battle from Premier League club Brighton

COLOGNE, GERMANY - OCTOBER 18: Said El Mala of 1. FC Köln celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Köln and FC Augsburg at RheinEnergieStadion on October 18, 2025 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/Getty Images)

Said El Mala of 1. FC Köln celebrates (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arriving in the Bundesliga, he's continued on the same trajectory, putting his all-killer-no-filler playing style to devastating use.

Don't expect El Mala to contribute to multiple phases of play, but when he gets the ball on the left flank, defenders know he's going to run fast and run hard at goal.

What is 'The Boy's A Bit Special'?

FourFourTwo's long-running 'The Boy's A Bit Special' feature has been going since the magazine's first issue, highlighting the best young players in the United Kingdom and abroad.

As of September 2025, we've given it a revamp. Our youth football expert Joe Donnohue will be profiling four teenagers each month, explaining why they're, well, a bit special.

Directness is the name of the game with El Mala and you can expect to see a lot more of him on bigger European stages before long.

Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, known for their data-first approach to scouting have seemingly identified the newly-christened German international as a top transfer target this summer.

The Seagulls are keen to add the 19-year-old to their ranks, which includes an impressive, and ever-growing, cohort of Europe's best teenagers, in the hope that one or two will come good in the Premier League.

Naturally, for a player coming out of Germany, Bayern Munich are interested with the Bundesliga giants' leading boardroom figures already discussing the player's progress. Therefore, there is every chance he will be persuaded to choose Munich over Sussex. But, watch this space, Brighton have been known to offer a compelling argument in recent times - and Bayern do have Luis Diaz on the left flank for the foreseeable.

DID YOU KNOW: Said and his elder brother Malek were released by Borussia Monchengladbach and reportedly rejected by 13 clubs before Viktoria Köln offered contracts to the pair

Joe Donnohue
Joe Donnohue
Senior Digital Writer

Joe joined FourFourTwo as senior digital writer in July 2025 after five years covering Leeds United in the Championship and Premier League. Joe's 'Mastermind' specialist subject is 2000s-era Newcastle United having had a season ticket at St. James' Park for 10 years before relocating to Leeds and later London. Joe takes a keen interest in youth football, covering PL2, U21 Euros, as well as U20 and U17 World Cups in the past, in addition to hosting the industry-leading football recruitment-focused SCOUTED podcast. He is also one of the lucky few to have 'hit top bins' as a contestant on Soccer AM. It wasn't a shin-roller.

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