Late last Saturday, I decided to write an op/ed that had long been gnawing at me: Bayern Munich needed a backup striker, and I knew just the man: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.. Well, he just so happens to be my favorite non-Bayern player for an entirely absurd reason: my son is nicknamed after him.
But Mr. Choupo was in fact the perfect backup striker, and I set it all out: he’s an experienced, versatile forward, he saved PSG’s Champion Leagues campaign with crucial plays vs Atalanta, he’s bilingual in German and French and also speaks English, and he’s even friends with several guys from Schalke already on the team (e.g Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sané), as well as with Jerome Boateng. And on top of everything he was a free agent.
Bayern must have heard the call: just hours after the post was published, news broke that Bayern was really in talks and today the club made it official: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is a Bayern player. He has signed a one-year contract through June 30, 2021.
Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said in a statement, “I’m glad we were able to sign Eric. He gives our squad depth in attack, especially in the center, which we will need. Eric has gained European experience at Paris Saint-Germain, he knows the Bundesliga, and arrives on a free transfer. It all fits together very well.”
And Mr. Choupo himself said, “It’s a great feeling coming back to the Bundesliga — and then to the biggest club in Germany. Who wouldn’t want to play for FC Bayern? It’s an honor to play for this club. It’s always Bayern’s aspiration to win everything, and I’m hugely motivated to help them achieve those goals.”
