The lowdown on new Bayern Munich player Sacha Boey

Bayern Munich finally have a new right-back. Former Galatasaray star Sacha Boey is in town, and the 23-year-old Frenchman replaces a roster spot vacated last summer after countryman Benjamin Pavard’s departure to Inter Milan.

But Boey is a different kind of player — not a center-back/right-back hybrid, like Pavard as well as the on-loan Josip Stanišić. Rather, Boey has drawn comparisons to current Bayern right-back Noussair Mazraoui, as his former teammate Ryan Babel explained to BILD:

Sacha Boey’s former Galatasaray teammate Ryan Babel to @BILD: “I remember that the club wanted to get rid of Sacha towards the end of his first year there. He hadn’t played much up to that point and was injured a lot. But then Sacha became much stronger physically and got used to Turkish football and the culture there. From that point on he was an integral part of the starting line-up.

He is a very smart, technically strong full-back who always finds solutions even in tight spaces and hardly makes any mistakes.

His game is very attacking, he crosses very well and likes that. His attacking partners on the right wing, such as [Leroy] Sané, but especially Harry Kane up front, will be very happy with him. When Mazraoui returns, it will be very exciting to see which of the two becomes the starting right-back. They have a similar playing style and I see them at about the same level.” [@linner_nicolas]

Added Babbel: “Sacha is a very warm and sensitive person. At first he will probably be reserved until he feels accepted in the dressing room. He needs to feel comfortable to fully open up. You can see the self-confidence he has in his big smile and on the pitch. It will be crucial that he quickly integrates in Germany and his new team.”

Boey’s former coach Okan Buruk was full of praise for him as well, lamenting his loss — but noting that the financial situation at Galatasaray made such a move hard to deny.

“It was the biggest sale in Turkish football history,” said Buruk (as captured via @iMiaSanMia). “We need to congratulate the club and its managers. Sacha has always worked hard. He is a good example for football players. We need to give him his due. As a coach, I’m sorry because I lost a very important player. But the money was a big budget for Galatasaray. I wish him success and to continue to improve at Bayern.”

Thomas Tuchel now has an exciting abundance of options at right-back. Boey’s arrival could quickly shift Konrad Laimer back into midfield on a full-time basis and it will be interesting to see if he can challenge Mazraoui’s place in the XI.