It took a little bit longer than initially anticipated, but Dayot Upamecano finally signed a contract extension with Bayern Munich to keep him at the club through 2030. Between the club and the center back’s representatives, there was a great deal of back and forth on some of the finer details within the negotiations, but an extension for a key player in the squad is another statement of intent from the German Rekordmeister.
Upamecano has formed a formidable partnership with Jonathan Tah at the heart
of Bayern’s backline and has been just as solid when Kim Min-jae has had to pair up with him, and likewise Eric Dier when he was at the club. There’s been a natural progression in each of the seasons Upamecano has been at Bayern ever since joining from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, the same time that Julian Nagelsmann became manager of Bayern, having also left Leipzig to do so.
Under Vincent Kompany, Upamecano has looked the best he’s ever been to the point where the club worked so hard to get his new deal over the line before they got too deep into the Rückrunde. The Belgian manager has truly struck a chord with this current Bayern squad and Upamecano is highly appreciative of the way the former Manchester City center back runs the club.
“He’s a very open coach and always willing to talk. He’s doing a good job and I’m very happy with him. I can always go to him if I think something wasn’t right in training. I like that he’s such an open coach,” the French international lauded of his manager (via @iMiaSanMia).
Without the solid relationship and understanding with Kompany, it’s likely that Upamecano very well might’ve considered offers from elsewhere. Real Madrid were one of several clubs interested in trying to sign him and seemed one of the most keen to do so this summer, but Kompany’s influence meshed with the overall package at Bayern as well as the sporting ambitions of the club were enough to keep the defender around for at least another three and a half years.
