Reaching an agreement for Ismael Saibari and for FC Bayern Munich for a mutually agreed transfer fee of 55 million euros

The transfer of Ismael Saibari to FC Bayern München is, as is well known, completely finalized and has meanwhile also been concluded. Both clubs had already confirmed the multi-million deal last week. Still, there is a minor setback to process now that Saibari has pulled out due to injury. The now FC Bayern player has reportedly sustained a serious injury. 

PSV is still being praised on all sides for the multi-million deal with FC Bayern, but Aad de Mos also points to the predecessor of Earnie Stewart that has by now almost been forgotten, John de Jong. “Nice work, right?”, De Mos begins about De Jong, who has had a significant role in the arrival of Saibari at PSV.

Aad de Mos believes that PSV’s former technical director John de Jong can be grateful for the arrival of Ismael Saibari. In De Oranjezomer, De Mos praises the man who oversaw the technical policy in Eindhoven between 2018 and 2022. According to De Mos, De Jong did not always receive the appreciation he deserved during his time at PSV. "People never spoke about him so well, because he was replaced by Earnest Stewart. But he did a lot of good things", says De Mos.

The analyst points to the transfer of Saibari. "He took him from Genk for 200 thousand euros—that’s pretty impressive, isn’t it? If you then get 55 million euros for him now, you’ve definitely got your money back as a technical manager."

Presenter Hélène Hendriks then brings up the criticism Saibari received in the past about his physique. "It has been said more than once that he is too fat. Ruud van Nistelrooij said at the time: that's not true, that's his build. He has only an eight percent body fat percentage." De Mos can confirm that. "And he is tall. You get a shock when you stand next to him, he's an extremely long lad. You don't see that on the pitch. He's also a really great guy. He's very good for the fans and for the youth; he always stays until last for the signings. That's a real loss for PSV."

As mentioned, Ismael Saibari is still well known as a real setback now that he has suffered an injury during the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The Moroccan international had to leave the field early by necessity in the round of 16 match between Morocco and Canada. That can be called a major blow for the Moroccans, who were precisely counting on their top scorer.

Saibari was in excellent form prior to the meeting. The forward found the net in all three group matches against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti. In the round of sixteen against the Netherlands, a goal did not come, but from the penalty spot onward he remained ice-cold by slotting home the decisive penalty. Afterwards, there were emotions with his family, but now also a hamstring injury. It is unclear how long Saibari will be out, but it can be made clear that this can be called a major setback for both Morocco and for FC Bayern.