MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) – The arrival of Israeli keeper Daniel Peretz at Bayern Munich is an investment for the future and not merely a stopgap signing while Manuel Neuer returns to full fitness, club CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Monday.
Bayern signed Peretz from Maccabi Tel Aviv on a five-year deal on Friday, the 23-year-old becoming the first Israeli player to sign for the club.
Neuer, 37, remains sidelined after breaking his leg while skiing in December and while the Germany international has started individual training a return to action still looks weeks away.
With goalkeepers Yann Sommer and Alexander Nuebel leaving in the summer, Bayern have had to turn to 35-year-old Sven Ulreich for their first two league matches of the season, both of which have been victories.
“Signing Peretz is an investment for the future,” Dreesen told a press conference. “He is only 23 years of age. The age difference to Manuel is huge so he can learn a lot from Manuel and from Sven as well.
“With Daniel we can plan into the future and that is why we gave him a five-year contract.
“In order to break through at Bayern you need passion and energy. We are confident Daniel has those qualities and that is why we signed him,” added Dreesen.
Peretz’s arrival also makes him the first Israeli player to join the German record champions.
“It is the first time an Israeli player is part of our squad and given the Jewish background of the club it is something special,” Dreesen said.
Kurt Landauer, a German Jew, was a long-time club president before World War Two when he as arrested by the Nazis, imprisoned and forced to emigrate. He was appointed club president again after his return to Munich in 1947.
“But no matter your upbringing or nationality, for us the only thing that matters is to play good football,” Dreesen said.
“It took a bit longer for us (to sign an Israeli player) but hopefully he will be with us for a long time.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
