Adam Aznou joined Everton from Bayern Munich last month
Adam Aznou at the Hill Dickinson Stadium
Adam Aznou at the Hill Dickinson Stadium(Image: (Emma Simpson/Everton FC))
Bayern Munich sporting director Stefan Freund has explained why his club reluctantly agreed to sell Adam Aznou to Everton. The Blues announced the signing of the defender for a fee in the region of £7.8m last month.
Born in Barcelona, Aznou came through the famed La Masia academy before joining Bayern in 2022. Aznou made four appearances for the Bundesliga side last season before going out on loan to the Spanish club Real Valladolid.
After making his Blues debut against Manchester United in a pre-season friendly, the 19-year-old then featured during the 1-0 defeat to AS Roma last weekend.
And now, opening up on Aznou's transfer, Freund told Sport 1, via Sport Witness: "With Adam, it was obviously a process, a long one.
"We know he's a very talented player. We also had a plan for him.
"He's also been on loan for the past six months. But all parties are involved.
"The player also has to... go along with it or be convinced of our plans as a club.
"We didn't quite agree. It was his great wish to make this transfer.
"Of course, that wasn't fundamentally our plan but, at the end of the day, we all decided together that, given the current situation, it's probably the best thing for everyone involved, including him, because he has to be convinced of what he's doing.
"He has to be full of energy and passion. I think that's very important for a young player, too.
"He didn't really see the opportunity with us, so we decided to agree on this transfer."
Speaking after joining Everton, Aznou said: "I'm so happy to be here. I'm so proud to be part of this team.
"The project they gave me is really good. The Premier League is the best league in the world, so I'm really excited to start. The stadium is really nice. It gives you a good feeling and it's good for our fans to support us. It's perfect for us.
"I just have to say I'm really thankful to be here. I'm really proud, so I will give everything in every training session and every game.
"[David Moyes] talked with me, he spoke with me about the team and how he wants me.
"So I decided directly when I spoke with him.
"I decided really quickly because of the words he gave me. He gave me confidence, so I decided to sign."