Daniel Peretz has explained why he never seriously weighed another option once Southampton made clear they wanted him permanently, telling ONE that the decision to leave Bayern Munich for the Championship club was "easy" despite the team's failure to win promotion back to the Premier League this year.
"From the first moment I arrived here in January, I felt at home and received a very warm welcome," the 26-year-old goalkeeper said, according to ONE. He added that the club's sporting vision persuaded him, but that in the end the pull was emotional as much as professional: "My heart always told me I wanted to stay here."
Peretz arrived at St Mary's on loan from Bayern in January, having spent the first half of the season out on loan at Hamburger SV without a single league appearance. The move to Southampton reignited his career almost immediately. He made 26 appearances across all competitions and kept nine clean sheets during a 21-match unbeaten run in the Championship, according to ONE's reporting, with other outlets crediting him with eight clean sheets across that same streak and standout displays against Premier League opposition including Fulham, Arsenal and Manchester City as Southampton reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
Southampton's promotion bid ultimately unravelled off the pitch rather than on it. The club was thrown out of the Championship play-offs after admitting to unauthorised filming of a rival's training session, with Middlesbrough taking their place in the final against Hull City, and Southampton were also docked four points for next season. It made Peretz's decision to commit his future to a second-tier side, rather than push for a move to a Premier League or bigger European club, all the more notable.
The switch was made permanent in June, with Southampton paying Bayern a fee reported at around €7 million for a player who had made only four Bundesliga appearances for the German giants after signing there in 2023. He has now put pen to paper on a four-year contract at St Mary's.
Southampton have already handed him the number one shirt, and Peretz made his first appearance of pre-season in a friendly against Eintracht Braunschweig, playing 45 minutes and keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win.
Born in Tel Aviv, Peretz came through the Maccabi Tel Aviv academy before his move to Bayern Munich three years ago made him the first Israeli player in the Bavarian club's history. He has since earned 12 caps for Israel's senior national team.
