David Alaba pleased with the arrival of Ivan Perisic at Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich left-back David Alaba is confident that Ivan Perisic will be a good signing for the club.
The Bundesliga champions finally signed a forward on Tuesday. Bayern Munich improved their attack by completing the signing of Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan. The Croatian winger emerged as a transfer target for Die Roten last week after Leroy Sane was ruled out for more than six months.
There has been mixed response for the signing of Perisic from Bayern fans. The Bundesliga champions were expected to sign a young forward this summer after the departures of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. Perisic meanwhile is set to turn 31 next summer and remains a stop-gap option for Die Roten.
However, the players in the current Bayern squad are pleased with the signing of Perisic. Speaking to Sport1’s Florian Plettenberg, David Alaba admitted that Perisic’s experience at the top level will be handy for Bayern next season.
"“He is a player who has a lot of experience, is very good in the ball and both feet. He will help us out & knows how to play at the highest level.“We never lost faith in our bosses. But there must and will be something else.”"
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Apart from Alaba, Manuel Neuer also spoke glowingly about Perisic. The German goalkeeper admitted that Perisic’s previous experience in Bundesliga will allow him to settle quickly. Perisic has previously played for Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg.
Niko Kovac defended Bayern’s decision to pursue Perisic. The Croatian addressed this issue while speaking to media after last night’s 3-1 win over Energie Cottbus in the first round of DFB Pokal. Kovac has previously worked with Perisic during his two years as the manager of Croatian national team.
Perisic will provide tactical flexibility to Bayern as he can operate on both sides of the striker. The Croatian can also be used a wing-back if Kovac decides to play with three center-backs. Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry currently remain the first choice wingers for Kovac, so Perisic will be initially expected to make an impact from the bench.
Kovac has reportedly struggled to convince the board to sign the players he wanted. The club had no other option than completing the transfer of Perisic after knowing the full extent of Sane’s injury. Die Roten needed players in this department and Perisic will fill this role at least for one season.
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The Croatian winger started training at Sabner Strasse. Match fitness will not be an issue for Perisic as he was involved with Inter’s pre-season. However, Perisic will not make his debut against Hertha Berlin as he will serve one-match suspension due to the accumulation of yellow cards in Serie A last season.