Bayern Munich announce Benjamin Pavard will join in July
Speaking at a press conference at the Bayern Munich winter training camp in Doha, Hasan Salihamidzic confirmed Benjamin Pavard will join the club in July.
In typical Bayern Munich fashion, the club just announced their first signing of the January transfer window, but the move won’t actually take place until the summer. VfB Stuttgart defender and World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard will join Bayern on July 1st, 2019.
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been keeping up with either the player or the club in any capacity over the past six months. Bayern Munich’s interest in Pavard has been their worst kept secret, and many sources already knew of the deal with a rumored fee of around €35 million.
However, it was not until today — when Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic confirmed the news in a press conference in Doha — that the news was made official. Brazzo not only announced the signing but also added a bit of detail into how it took place.
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"“We already knew him before the World Cup and watched him in lots of games. We decided early on to offer him a contract and he signed it a few days ago. It’s a really nice story for FC Bayern.“Of course, he also impressed at the World Cup and performed well, becoming world champion! That’s not something that happens several times during a career. He was a first-choice player for the World Cup team. But we were convinced of his abilities even before that.”"
Pavard has experienced some wildly mixed fortunes over the past year. He was one of the breakout players in the Bundesliga last season, helping VfB Stuttgart finish seventh in the ’17-18 Bundesliga season.
He went on to secure a place in the France starting XI for this past summer’s World Cup, playing at right-back despite being deployed in central defense most often at Stuttgart. He helped his nation claim the title of world champions and scored the goal of the tournament while doing it.
The current Bundesliga campaign has not been so fortuitous for Pavard, however. Stuttgart have struggled immensely this season and went into the winter break at 16th in the table. He’ll have all eyes on him over the second half of the season to prove he has what it takes to make it at Bayern.
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Pavard has the potential to be a fantastic player for the Bavarians. He’s only 22-years-old and already has a ton of first team experience. He’s comfortable on the ball and can fill in at both center-back and right-back. At €35 million, he could prove a steal for Bayern if he is able to reach his potential at the club.