FC Bayern is paying for the World Cup break with two long-term injured regulars: defender Lucas Hernandez was seriously injured on the pitch, captain Manuel Neuer on the piste. In the search for a replacement, the Bundesliga soccer club is now making good progress.
The change of the Dutch national soccer player Daley Blind to FC Bayern is now officially perfect. As the German record champions announced, the 32-year-old defender signed a contract in Munich until the end of the season. Blind was last without a club after his contract with Ajax Amsterdam was terminated shortly after Christmas. “He has great international experience and leadership qualities. I’m sure he will help us,” said Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
Blind is planned as a replacement for Frenchman Lucas Hernandez, who will be out until the end of the season due to a cruciate ligament rupture. With the signing of the 99-time international, who started all five games for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Munich also have an experienced alternative to Alphonso Davies on the left.
“I can’t wait to play here. We’re facing the most important part of the season, which is about the titles – and a club like Bayern can win any trophy,” said Blind. He will fly to the training camp in Doha on Friday after passing the medical check on Thursday.
Playing blind with an implanted defibrillator. On December 10, 2019, he complained of dizziness in Ajax’s Champions League game against FC Valencia. During a subsequent examination, heart muscle inflammation was diagnosed. In February 2020 he already celebrated his comeback. But in a test match in August 2020 against Hertha BSC, Blind fell without the opponent’s influence after the defibrillator had triggered an alarm and given him one or even several electric shocks. Blind was then able to leave the field alone. The defibrillator sends electrical impulses to regulate heart rhythms, which may help prevent cardiac arrest.
The goalkeeper question is still open at FC Bayern. Yann Sommer (34) from Gladbach is still the ideal solution for the seriously injured captain Manuel Neuer. However, Borussia first needs an adequate replacement. Five million euros are being discussed as a fee for the Swiss. According to “Kicker”, there are also further negotiations between Munich and Alexander Nübel, who was loaned to Monaco, although the 26-year-old recently described a return as rather unlikely.