The announcement of the signing of Hiroki Itō as the first 2024 summer signing for Bayern Munich was a bolt out of the blue, shocking fans and reporters alike by its secrecy. Fans were used to Bayern transfers being reported on weeks ahead of time, so to see it all unfold so quickly was a pleasant surprise. But just because the club was able to keep the secret for so long does not mean the executives are not willing to discuss why the signing of the former VfB Stuttgart player was made.
Bayern Munich’s Max Eberl did just this, revealing during a visit to Sport-1’s Doppelpass just what the reasons were for the signing. @iMiaSanMia captured the full quote: “We definitely wanted to have a left-footed player in the backline in order to be more flexible in the build-up. Then there was the situation with Alphonso Davies, we decided not to extend his contract yet. Hiroki can play on the left as well. We approached it with a long-term perspective. Hiroki is an underrated player and was a key player in Stuttgart.”
Davies, of course, was heavily courted by Real Madrid during the transfer window with just 1 year left on his contract, though the Bavarians eventually decided not to sell and head into the final year of the Canadian’s contract. The signing of Itō likely strengthened Bayern’s negotiating position…up until the Japanese center back broke his foot in pre-season. Oh well. Hopefully, Itō will be able to demonstrate his underrated talents once he returns from his injury.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s massive 6-1 blowout of Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga? Great, then we have just what you need with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show, which is available on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
