Admin I Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024
MUNICH – England defender Eric Dier was officially presented as a Bayern Munich player on Saturday, two days after concluding his transfer from Tottenham to the German record champions.
“It’s been great since I’ve got here. I’ve felt the size and the family feeling of the club straightaway.
It wasn’t surprising but it feels good,” he said in a news conference after his first training session with the squad following Friday’s 3-0 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim.
Dier, 29, is to ease Bayern’s lack of options in defence which has grown even more for at least a few weeks because Noussair Mazraoui is at the Africa Cup of Nations and Kim Minjae at the Asian Cup. He would also free up Leon Goretzka for his usual midfield role again.
Dier has been at Spurs since 2014 and played together with England forward Harry Kane, who arrived in Munich in summer and has been an instant hit, for club and country.
“Harry is my friend. We spoke a lot and I followed the matches because of him. When I realised that there was a chance for me, I obviously followed things,” Dier said.
The defender wasn’t a regular starter for Tottenham this term, with just four Premier League appearances, but he stressed he’s fit and ready to get to work.
“That’s the decision of the club and the manager, which I accepted. I always make sure I’m fit, have done so in recent months and I feel good,” he said.
Bayern director Christoph Freund said: “We’re mostly planning to use him at centre-back. He brings a lot of experience, is a really good character. He’ll be important for the team, also given his personality.”
As for a potential new signing, Freund added: “The transfer window is open for a few more days. We’ll see what happens. The priority was to strengthen at the back. In central midfield, Aleksandar Pavlovic has developed really well and we believe we’ve got a good alternative with him there.”
