Servus, Ryan! Servus, Nouz! Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui have been in Munich since the start of July. As part of the Allianz FC Bayern Team Presentation on Saturday, the two new signings from Ajax appeared at a press conference, where they already impressed with their German language. “I’m feeling very good,” said Gravenberch. “I’m very happy to be here. I’m pleased with the team and training. Munich is a very nice city. Everything’s great.”
“I feel very at home, the people here are very friendly and have really welcomed me. I’m impressed with the quality in training,” added Mazraoui in equally good German. They were joined by president Herbert Hainer, CEO Oliver Kahn and board member for sport Hasan Salihamidžić, who also answered the journalists’ questions. We’ve rounded up the key quotes from the media round.
Hainer, Kahn and Salihamidžić on the new signings
Hainer: “It’s great that the pair are already speaking German. I’m thrilled with what Hasan and Oliver have achieved in recent weeks. Nouz is exactly the kind of player we’ve been looking for on the right side. Ryan is a sought-after talent, who several clubs wanted to sign. The fact they chose Bayern also shows the club’s status.”
Kahn: “They have real quality and, because of their age, still have the potential to improve. It’s always a big challenge to get the right mix of youth and experience in the team. We’re going to get a lot of joy from these two guys.”
Salihamidžić: “Both had already decided to join FC Bayern months ago. From my experience, I know that it normally yields success when players decide very early and clearly on a club. Nouz has excellent quality. He ’s technically strong and delivers good crosses from the right flank. I’m glad we’ve got him. Ryan is top-class and has shown that this week in training too.”
Mazraoui & Gravenberch on the decision to join Bayern
Mazraoui: “For me it’s the best club in the world. It wasn’t a difficult decision for me to sign for FC Bayern. I want to win lots of trophies with the club.”
Gravenberch: “When FC Bayern approached me, the decision soon became clear. Bayern are one of the biggest clubs in the world - the biggest, in my view.”
Kahn on Robert Lewandowski
“Robert said his goodbyes today and it’s time to pay tribute to him accordingly. What Robert has achieved during his time at FC Bayern is more than outstanding. He’s won everything, he’s played his part in us winning a lot of titles, and he’s advanced to world’s best footballer. The state of play changed in recent weeks. As well as that, there’s always the financial factor. The fee gives us the opportunity to see what we can do in the transfer market. We have a first-class team in every area. Particularly in attack, we have a lot of options. Nevertheless we’ll continue to observe what’s happening.”
Salihamidžić on transfers
“It’s always a question of the quality of the player. Herbert Hainer and the whole supervisory board have supported us during the transfer window and I want to thank them again for that. Only that way can we sign such players, and it’s really fun.”
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