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Bayern Munich’s signing of Reading FC left-back Omar Richards on a free transfer is being hailed as good business by many observers. Richards is expected to provide depth behind starter Alphonso Davies, thus alleviating the need for Lucas Hernandez to play on the defensive flank.
Hernandez can now focus on his duties at center-back, while Davies seemingly has a capable player as his understudy.
One interesting part of the transfer, however, is that Bayern Munich relied on new scout Pirmin Schwegler for much of the evaluation of Richards:
Interessant: Für den Transfer von Omar #Richards zum #FCBayern zeichnet sich auch Pirmin Schwegler mitverantwortlich. Der frühere Bundesliga-Profi verstärkt seit November das Scouting-Team des FCB. Seine Analysen - auch zu Richards - werden intern bereits enorm geschätzt.
— Manuel Bonke (@mano_bonke) March 5, 2021
Interesting: For the transfer of Omar #Richards to the #FCBayern Pirmin Schwegler is also jointly responsible. The former Bundesliga professional joined the FCB scouting team in November. His analyses — including those of Richards — are already hugely valued internally.
Schwegler, of course, had a long footballing career playing for FC Luzern, Young Boys, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim, Hannover 96, and Western Sydney Wanderers.
With his boots hung up for the last time, the 33-year-old Schwegler has now turned his career toward identifying the next great prospects for Bayern Munich. Once Richards arrives in Bavaria, we’ll start to get an idea if all of that playing experience equates to a good eye for talent.