New signing eager to start but role talks pending

Ismael Saibari completed a €50m move to Bayern Munich earlier this summer and is eager to get started with the Bundesliga giants, but he has yet to discuss his role at the club with Vincent Kompany.

The Morocco international arrived at Allianz Arena from PSV during the World Cup, where he starred for his country. Saibari scored in all three of Morocco’s group matches at the tournament and netted the winning penalty in their round of 32 shoot-out victory against the Netherlands, before suffering a hamstring injury in the next round against Canada.

The 25-year-old also impressed for PSV, directly contributing to more goals across the last two Eredivisie seasons than any other player with 45 contributions – 26 goals and 19 assists. He has now recovered from his World Cup injury and feels he has a lot to offer the Bundesliga champions.

Saibari on Bayern style and position

Speaking at his official unveiling, Saibari said:

"Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world. They've given me the confidence that I can develop as a player and person here. They play with a lot of movement and high intensity. I saw that myself last season. They play very good football, it’s always intense, they always look for finishes. I like that a lot."

On his future position, he added:

"I haven't discussed it [position] in detail with the coach. I've been focusing on my injury and comeback. We'll definitely talk about it soon."

"My favourite position is the number ten, everyone knows that. But I can play in several positions, we always switch around during games anyway. I can also play out wide and a bit deeper."

First appearances in sight

Saibari’s competitive debut for Bayern could come on August 22, when they face Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup. Kompany’s side then start their Bundesliga title defence six days later against Stuttgart at Allianz Arena.