Matthijs de Ligt
Bayern Munich added more quality to central defense last summer by signing Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus. The Bavarian club had to put in a lot of effort (in terms of transfer fee) to get the deal over the line for De Ligt. The Dutch defender was also eager to join Die Roten over other clubs such as Chelsea.
Matthijs de Ligt’s eagerness to join Die Roten is also reflected in his performances during the debut season. The former Ajax defender became a mainstay in defense for Bayern and consistently delivered good performances. His quality on the ball also made Die Roten a better team, boasting an average pass accuracy of 91.7% across all competitions.
The Dutch defender did have a few difficult games, but overall, it was a very productive and solid debut season. He also chipped in with three goals and one assist in the Bundesliga. De Ligt will hope to improve in big Champions League games next season, as he looked a bit shaky against Manchester City in the first leg of the quarter-final. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
Bayern is expected to sign at least one more center-back this season, with Napoli’s Kim Min-jae emerging as the top target. The new defender will do well to match the solid debut season of De Ligt. The Dutch defender is still 23, so the best is yet to come for Bayern.