Who Is Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich’s Latest Signing?

Among the top teams in Europe, Bayern Munich has been one of the least active during the current transfer window. While sides such as PSG, Juventus and FC Barcelona keep bolstering their squads ahead of the 2018-19 season, the Bavarian side has not followed the same path. In fact, they have grabbed more headlines for their potential departures since names such as Arturo Vidal and Thiago Alcantara could leave the club in the coming weeks.

However, the reigning Bundesliga champions have changed that trend this past Tuesday, although their most recent transfer should not make fans very excited. Bayern Munich have struck a deal to acquire Alphonso Davies, one of the most promising youngsters in the MLS, from the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Terms of the deal were not announced, but it is believed the German powerhouses paid around €13 million, although the transfer includes substantial add-ons that could make the entire package worth a record $20 million. Davies won’t even arrive instantly, as he will remain with the Whitecaps for the remainder of the 2018 MLS season. The very best scenario would be to have him with Die Roten for the second half of the upcoming season.

Some background regarding Bayern’s new signing

But… who is Davies? Let’s be honest. Fans who do not follow the MLS regularly might have never heard of him before. And we can’t blame them. The 17-year-old Canada international is not a household name by any means, but the talent is there. After all, Bayern won the sweepstakes to acquire but the other teams in competition were Manchester United and Real Madrid. He must have SOMETHING to have three of the best teams in the world tracking him, right?

As it turns out, he has. Davies is a talented attacking midfielder capable of playing all over the attacking third. However, he profiles best as a left winger. That’s the position he has been filling this season for the Whitecaps and while the team has been quite inconsistent, Davies has looked impressive in his own right.

Through 20 appearances, the highly-touted prospect accounts for three goals and six assists. If we consider all competitions and his entire career with the Canadian franchise, the numbers look even better: seven goals and 10 assists in 68 appearances. He has also won six caps and scored three goals with Canada.

Will he join Bayern’s first team any time soon?

Ultimately, his skill set is good enough to consider him the long-term replacement for players such as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. But it will only depend on him. As things stand now, Davies will remain with Vancouver in 2018, and most likely than not, will go out on loan for the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign. The most optimistic scenario would be to see him donning Bayern’s colours in 2020, but even that would be to get too ahead of ourselves.

Only time will tell how far he can go with his career. But don’t make mistakes here. Bayern made a great move here. One that will certainly boost the future of the team.