After a hectic summer, the transfer window is finally shut. How did Bayern Munich’s summer moves stack up with the rest of Europe?
It was a lively summer for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, as the club made several changes to their first-team. Their summer moves were largely excellent, but did the Bavarians have the very best summer in all of Europe? Before answering that, here’s a quick look at the summer moves made by the Bavarian giants.
In
As is tradition with the German giants, Bayern Munich got all of their transfer work done quick and early to avoid any hiccups. Back in January, the club announced the signings of Niklas Sule (€20 mil) and Sebastian Rudy (free) from Hoffenheim. The German duo did not join Bayern, however, until this past summer.
Bayern continued their work by striking a permanent deal with talented winger Kingsley Coman (€21 mil). The Frenchman spent the previous two seasons on loan in Bavaria from Italian club Juventus and has become an important member of Bayern Munich.
The purchase of Serge Gnabry (€8 mil) from Werder Bremen marked Bayern’s fourth move in the summer market. Their biggest purchase came merely days later when the rekordmeisters announced the surprising transfer of Corentin Tolisso (€41.5 mil) from Lyon for a club record fee.
The most surprising move made by the Bavarians was their last move in the summer market. Secured on an initial two-year loan with an option to buy, Colombian superstar James Rodriguez (€13 mil) is the newest member of Die Roten.
Out
As many players as Bayern Munich brought in this summer, they actually lost a few more. Perhaps the most impactful departures are those of Xabi Alonso and Philipp Lahm, who both retired from club soccer.
After spending a half-season on loan at Schalke, Holger Badstuber joined newly promoted VFB Stuttgart on a free transfer. Another central defender, Medhi Benatia (€17 mil) is now a permanent player of Juventus, where he had spent the previous season on loan.
Douglas Costa is another player joining the Italian black-and-whites. His deal is an initial one-year loan (€6 mil) that includes an obligation to buy at the end of the season.
Finally, Serge Gnabry (€1 mil) will spend a year on loan at German club Hoffenheim, and Renato Sanches (€8.5 mil) will do the same in the Premier League with Paul Clement’s Swansea City.
How does Bayern Munich stack up against the rest of Europe?
At first glance, there’s no real glaring issues with Bayern Munich’s summer moves. They added talent to their already impressive squad and got rid of players who were surplus to requirement.
That they failed to sign a back-up for Robert Lewandowski could possibly be an area of concern. However, finding a player willing to sit on the bench for nearly every match (that is a more talented striker than Thomas Muller) is a tall task.
Compared to most clubs in Europe, however, Bayern’s summer transfer window was nothing short of excellent. Perhaps only PSG and AC Milan have made more impressive moves. But given the financial status of the club and the speed at which they made their moves, the argument could be made that Bayern’s summer transfer window was the best.
Next: Five things Carlo Ancelotti must do for a successful season
Third place is not bad at all, though, and that is where Bayern Munich stand. Carlo Ancelotti and co. have an exciting and talented squad on their hands heading into the ’17-18 season. It is a squad more complete and youthful than the squad of last year that made such disappointing exits in the Champions League and DFB Cup.
*Note: Transfer fees taken from transfermarkt.com.