Bayern Munich chiefs and fans suffered disappointment during the summer transfer window when Florian Wirtz rejected a move to Bavaria in favour of joining Liverpool. Die Roten had to pivot from their top target and get a different profile of player in Luis Diaz from Liverpool.
There were eyebrows raised amongst fans and media when Bayern decided to fork out a big fee for the 28-year-old forward. Five months after the summer transfer window, it does look like Bayern got it spot on by getting Diaz from Liverpool.
The Colombian forward has hit the ground running for Bayern. Diaz has been explosive in the final third, sharing the goalscoring workload with Harry Kane in the team. The former Porto winger has scored 13 goals in 21 appearances for Die Roten across all competitions. He also has six assists to his name, making him one of the best wingers in Europe this season.
At the halfway stage of the Bundesliga season, Luis Diaz is reflecting on his move to Germany. While talking to The Guardian, Diaz explained reasons behind the potential reasons behind a seamless transition from Premier League to Bundesliga. The Colombian winger also had words of praise for the city of Munich.
"I think it’s because they have placed a tremendous amount of trust in me. From the first day, my teammates and the club also made me feel welcome very quickly, and even though learning the language is a little difficult they made me feel like part of the family. The truth is that with Bayern I have found a very united team, at ease -something I have always been used to and something I have always wanted. So that’s why this has been very easy."Luis Diaz
The 28-year-old forward once again reiterated that the ego-free environment in the dressing room has helped him to gel with his teammates quicker than expected. Diaz once again had big words for Harry Kane as he has been dumbstruck by the quality of the English forward after training with him week in week out.
Diaz also praises Kompany for giving him more freedom on the pitch
The former Liverpool forward also insisted that Vincent Kompany has given him freedom on the pitch to express himself better in the final third. The Belgian coach has done a terrific job of getting the best out of all forwards this season, making Bayern one of the best attacking teams in Europe.
Along with goals and assists, Diaz brings incredible intensity to the pitch as he works hard out of possession. His aggressive pressing helps Die Roten to defend strongly from the front, making him a perfect forward for Kompany’s system.
After an incredible Hinrunde, Diaz is looking forward to a challenging second half of the season. The Colombian forward wants to win all possible trophies for Bayern this season, and he is particularly very motivated to lift the Champions League trophy in Bavarian colours. The 28-year-old is also eyeing a successful World Cup with Colombia in the summer after excelling for his team during the qualification stage.