Bayern boss Eberl reveals: How the Saibari transfer came about | OneFootball

Ismael Saibari was one of FC Bayern’s top transfer targets this summer. Max Eberl has now revealed which performance was the deciding factor in signing him.

With Ismael Saibari, FC Bayern has signed a versatile offensive player who is expected to add more variety to Vincent Kompany’s attacking play. The Munich club paid around 50 million euros for the Moroccan national team player. At his official presentation, sporting director Max Eberl provided insights into how the transfer came about.

The 52-year-old made it clear that Saibari had been on Munich’s radar for some time. However, the attacking player made a decisive impression in a direct matchup against FC Bayern, of all places.

“We’d known Ismael for quite some time. The final real impetus that he was a player for FC Bayern came during the game against us,” Eberl revealed. Last January, Bayern faced PSV Eindhoven—featuring Saibari—in the Champions League and won 2-1. Saibari scored a spectacular goal for the Dutch side in that match.

The Bayern boss recalled, in particular, the qualities with which Saibari caused problems for the Munich side: “With his style, his physicality, his presence, speed, and versatility, he caused us a few problems. Still, we won. He’s something special.”

Bayern stepped up its monitoring of Saibari

After that performance, the club’s sporting leadership apparently took an even closer look at the Moroccan: “We continued to monitor him closely. At some point, it became clear that we wanted to make a move in the offense. Then it was clear that Ismael was the player,” Eberl explained.

This made Saibari one of the top candidates for Bayern’s planned offensive reinforcement. The decisive factor was not only his individual quality but, in particular, his versatility.

The 25-year-old says he feels most comfortable in the number 10 position, but can also play on the offensive wings or in a slightly deeper role. At the World Cup, Saibari also played as a center forward for Morocco and scored three goals.

It is precisely this flexibility that plays an important role in Munich’s current squad planning.

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Eberl also drew a connection to Nathaniel Brown, whom Bayern also signed this summer: “Both signings—Nene Brown and Ismael Saibari—show that we want to prioritize flexibility, players who can play different positions and bring something new to our game that we perhaps didn’t have last season,” said the sporting director.

Bayern hopes this will give Kompany more options to react to different opponents and game situations during a match. Saibari is expected to provide new options, particularly on offense.

For Eberl, the conclusion was clear: “That’s why it was obvious that Ismael was a top candidate for us, and thank goodness it worked out.”

It remains to be seen when Saibari will take the field for the first time in a Bayern jersey. The new signing suffered a torn muscle fiber during the World Cup and has recently been working on his comeback. He is now back in full team training. An appearance in Saturday’s friendly against RB Leipzig is therefore theoretically possible, though the final decision will be made in consultation with the medical staff.