After so many defensive names were bandied about in the transfer window, Bayern Munich have confirmed that they have signed right back Sacha Boey from Turkish side Galatasaray. Here we take a closer look at the 23-year-old French full back and see what he has to offer the Rekordmeister.
Bayern were made to play hardball with Galatasaray after it emerged Sacha Boey was their main target following previous links with both Nordi Mukiele and Kieran Trippier came to nothing. The Istanbul club stood their ground in getting their valuation of the player with the German champions paying a reported €30 million with a contract until 2028.
The rise
Boey started out in the youth ranks as an 11-year-old at FC Romainville before moving onto Red Star a year later. Having impressed greatly during his two-year spell there, he was signed by Stade Rennais in 2014. The club’s reputation for youth development meant that the 14-year-old set his sights on emulating the likes of Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga who had graduated from the club.
He continued to impress as a right back with his ability, pace, athleticism and his intelligent understanding of the modern full back role. He was given his first-team debut with Les Rouge et Noirs at the end of the 2018-19 season as a substitute against Toulouse. He made five appearances (one start) in the following campaign before being sent on loan to Dijon, where he really blossomed making 24 appearances, cementing his growing reputation and attracting attention from numerous clubs.
July 2021 saw him take the adventurous step of moving to Türkiye with Galatasaray offering him the chance of regular starts and European football. The Turkish giants paid a nominal fee of some €1.15 million and handed him a four-year contract. After a settling in period, Boey continued his rise and established himself in the first-team helping the Lions to the Super Lig title last season making 31 starts in the process.
What’s he like?
Boey has had an excellent education at Rennes and put what he has learnt into practice alongside his natural ability at Galatasaray. He is very good at retaining possession and loves to carry the ball forward into attacking areas. His stats for progressive carries are up there with Europe’s finest. He doesn’t shirk his defensive duties and his stamina and attitude are such that he chases down every opportunity to win the ball back.
Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal as well as Marseille were reported to be keen on signing the 23-year-old, but it is Bayern who have stolen a march over their rivals and strengthened Thomas Tuchel’s defensive options. He has been capped by France at U-17, U-18 and U-20 level, but his international future remains unclear with Cameroon keen on him declaring his allegiance to them rather than Les Bleus.
What they’re saying
Christoph Freund (sporting director): “Sacha Boey is a very quick and physically strong right-back, who covers a lot of ground in every game and doesn’t shy away from any tackles. He was a fan favourite at Galatasaray, has developed very well down the years, arrives with Champions League experience and won the league title with Galatasaray last season. He will increase our quality in defence.”
Sacha Boey: “This is a dream come true for me. It’s an honour for me to get to play for such a big club like Bayern. I’m really looking forward to my new team and getting to play with all these great players in the future. As a player, I’m a defender who likes to attack, just as happy being involved up front as in defence.”
