2024/25: €149 million spent - Premier signings for the future
Michael Olise (Crystal Palace) - €53 million: 10/10
The one and only 10/10 signing in the past five years. Of course, this is the evaluation of Olise's only season at Bayern, but wow, has he been impressive? 17 goals and 21 assists across all competitions speak for themselves. Bayern has finally decided to move on from the underperforming Gnabry, Coman, and Sane and give Olise the key to the left flanks and the offense as a whole. If Olise manages to stay healthy, he will undoubtedly be the starman at the Allianz Arena.
Joao Palhinha (Fulham) - €51 million: 5/10
Unlike Olise, Joao Palhinha didn't have a great debut season at Bayern. He was frequently absent due to complications with his muscle bundle. When he was available, he also faced tough competition for the starting spot with Leon Goretzka and Alexandar Pavlovic. Bayern fans sure hope to see a rejuvenation in form from the Portuguese in the next season, and see him become the tackling machine that the board hoped him to be.
Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart) - €23.5 million: 5/10
Ito was a key player in Stuttgart's great campaign seeing them finish second. The Japanese defender can play well both as a left-back and a center-back, which gave Bayern every reason to bring him in and bolster the defense. Unfortunately, Hiroki Ito was more familiar with the rehabilitation facilities than the pitch of Allianz Arena in the last season, which left Kompany scrambling to fill in the defense.
Jonas Urbig (Koln) - €7 million: 7/10
This might be the answer to the heir to Neuer's throne at Bayern Munich. Jonas Urbig has taken all the spotlight upon his arrival at the Allianz Arena, from featuring in the Champions League knockout round in his debut to making big saves to help Bayern secure the Bundesliga. Urbig has shown his flair, charisma, and big reflexes to become Bayern's next shot-stopper. The 21-year-old is expected to have an extended role next season.
Conclusion
Bayern has spent a lot of money on players in the last five years, with many not panning out as expected. While this might be the players' fault for not being able to stay healthy and perform consistently, part of the blame should be on the board. Since 2020, Bayern has had four different head coaches, who vary greatly in their philosophy. Thus, players who fit the previous coach may not work well with the next, resulting in a shorter "expiry date" for them. For example, Ryan Gravenberch was supposed to play under Nagelsmann, who works well with youngsters, but had to have his playing time cut drastically because of Thomas Tuchel's unexpected arrival. Or Joao Palhinha was the long-time transfer target of Tuchel, but Bayern only sealed the deal after Kompany became head coach.
This high turnover rate is not sustainable for culture building and the club's financial well-being. Players, especially young stars, are unwilling to join Bayern partly because of this uncertainty. Max Eberl and Christopher Freund will need to learn from this lesson and allow a head coach to build a culture without getting impatient.