Julia Zigiotti Olme, a Swedish midfielder, has signed for Bayern Munich on a free transfer after leaving Brighton. Zigiotti has signed a two-year deal and has already attended her first training session with the German champions.
“It all happened very quickly,” Zigiotti explained to GIVEMESPORT. “I’ve joined a great club with a long history. I was quite delighted when I initially learned about the Bayern offer. It wasn’t what I expected, but I’m delighted to join.
“I’ve always wanted to play for one of Europe’s elite teams, and now I have the opportunity. Everyone here is incredibly pleasant and caring. It’s been a very enjoyable first few days.”
Zigiotti, 26, spent two years at Brighton after joining from Hacken in January 2022, with her partner and fellow Sweden international Emma Kullberg. She made 65 appearances, scored six times, and was selected captain by previous manager Jens Scheuer.
“I relocated to Brighton because I thought the Women’s Super competition was the finest competition there existed. It was also fantastic to transfer at the same time as Emma. It made it easier to move together. To be honest, I was a bit of a headache for my agents in order to get it done! When you change clubs, it’s always about the football, but joining at the same time benefited our personal life as well.
“Becoming captain was not what I anticipated. As a player, I enjoy talking to and helping my teammates, so becoming captain of a WSL team was a great accomplishment. Jens merely told me before one of the games that I’d be heading the side. It puts pressure on you since, as captain, you are expected to be the team’s voice, and if things aren’t functioning, it reflects on you. It was a huge burden for me, but I enjoy the added pressure.
“Overall, Brighton had many highs and lows, as well as some difficulties. If you include the two temporary managers, they have changed coaches five times since I arrived. It’s difficult because with each change, you have to understand how the new coach wants to play and determine whether they like you as a player. “I always tried to show Brighton my best side.”
Zigiotti declined a contract extension at Brighton following a rough 2023/24 season that saw her lose the captain’s armband under then-manager Melissa Phillips. She made 26 appearances in all competitions last season, but she decided the time had come to depart.
“When I lost the captaincy, I wasn’t too surprised,” Zigiotti said. “I could sense throughout the preseason that Melissa wanted to take a different approach. It was disheartening and mentally challenging to have it and then lose it. The most difficult thing was that I didn’t get an explanation as to why.”
