Alex Frei on Bayern’s failed move: “It was done then”

Former Dortmund player Alex Frei has revealed he almost ended up at Bayern Munich. But the transfer failed for a specific reason.

The German record champions approached the Swiss in the summer of 2008. “Jürgen Klinsmann became a coach at Bayern Munich,” Frei said in an interview with the View and added that Munich were looking for a third striker: “He should be a goal threat, but also know that he might only play one of three games.”

However, Frei suffered a serious injury in the opening game of the 2008 European Championships, tearing the inner ligament of his knee after a foul. “If you have the opportunity to go to Bayern Munich, you have to do it. But that was over then,” he explained.

Frei, who played for BVB from 2006 to 2009, ended up staying in Dortmund. However, the attacker never really got along with the then new coach Jürgen Klopp. “I was a player who didn’t fit into his football concept. Maybe I wasn’t fast enough,” he said, adding: “Back then, you always had the feeling that we were arguing every day, but that wasn’t true.”

The perception of the game idea was simply different, says Frei: “Today I understand it as a coach, as a player it was difficult. He stood for pressing and counter-pressing.” Klopp said, “He can’t do without my goal threat. I should pretend that I’m running more – then he’ll accept it.”

After a year and nine goals under Klopp, Frei returned to his youth club FC Basel and was Swiss champion four more times before he retired in 2013.