A quiet start, but a useful one
Two assists in four appearances. That is Ismael Saibari’s Bayern Munich record in one line, and it is hardly a bad return for a summer arrival from PSV Eindhoven. The Morocco midfielder has given Bayern another option in an attack that did not exactly need rescuing.
Dietmar Hamann is not buying the hype. The former Bayern midfielder, and ex-Liverpool man too, used his Sky Sports Germany slot to spell out what he thinks of the signing.
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Speed: the detail that changes everything
The criticism is clear. Hamann is not questioning the player’s technique, he is questioning his tactical value. “Ismael Saibari is a wonderful footballer, but he is too slow. Not only is he not quick, he is like a poor Harry Kane.”
The comparison matters. Harry Kane has never built his game on raw pace, and Bayern have shaped a system around the England captain that covers for that lack of speed with clever movement around him. Add another player with the same profile and balance becomes the issue.
Hamann pushed his point all the way. “They say Saibari can play in four positions. I say he can play in exactly one: behind Kane, because out wide he is too slow.”
Questions over his versatility
Bayern signed Saibari while talking up his ability to cover several areas of the pitch. That was the selling point at the time. Hamann has cut that down to one usable role, and that naturally changes the conversation around the deal.
The Morocco international’s numbers do not help him much yet. Two assists from his first four outings is a return most coaches would happily take. The rest of the season will decide whether the former midfielder’s view carries more weight than the Bayern staff’s read on the player.
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