Bayern Munich failed to deliver squad overhaul in summer

The summer transfer window ended quietly for Bayern Munich as they confirmed no further signings in the pre-match press conference for the clash against Freiburg on Friday. Max Eberl insisted that the squad is set for the new season. The Bavarian club had a quiet deadline day.

The only deal involving Bayern went through on Friday was that of Gabriel Vidović. The young attacking midfielder joined Mainz on a season-long loan after extending his contract at Bayern. Die Roten ruled out further signings, while Kingsley Coman decided to stay in Munich despite interest from the Premier League and Saudi Arabia. Let us look at how Bayern went about their summer and where they failed to deliver on their promise of making big changes to the squad.

Strengthening spine of the squad

Bayern started the transfer window strongly by adding players in defense, midfield, and attack. Hiroki Ito's signing was shrewd since he provides cover for two positions (Central defense and left-back). The Japanese defender will have to wait for his debut after suffering a foot injury in pre-season. Ito certainly has the Bundesliga experience and quality to be successful in Munich. The Bavarian club also bolstered their defense by keeping Josip Stanišić after his productive loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen.

In the midfield department, Bayern finally added a defensive midfielder. The interest in Fulham’s João Palhinha was revived after failing to get him in 2023. The Portuguese midfielder will shield the back four and help Die Roten to improve defensively away from home.

Finally, Bayern added more quality to the attack by signing Michael Olise from Crystal Palace. They managed to beat competition from several Premier League clubs to sign the French winger. He has enjoyed a good start to life in Munich. A long-term signing was completed for a reasonable transfer fee.

All three signings made by Bayern will play a significant role in their success this season. While the quantity of signings is questionable for Die Roten, there is no doubt about the quality possessed by their three recruits.

Failure to move several big earners

Bayern sold Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, while Bouna Sarr and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting left on free transfers. They also got an injection to transfer funds after former striker Joshua Zirkzee left Bologna to join Manchester United. Bayern had included a sell-on clause in Zirkzee’s deal when he joined the Serie A club two years ago.

Die Roten made a profit on Mazraoui, while De Ligt went for a lower fee than they paid for him in 2022. The departure of the Dutch defender is a strange decision made by Bayern since he was their most consistent center-back during the last two seasons. However, he was also their biggest asset to sell this summer.

Bayern were open to selling Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman. However, lack of interest and players refusing to give up on their careers in Munich made sure they are staying in Bavaria until next summer. The lack of departures meant Bayern couldn’t invest further in the squad, which also saw them missing out on Jonathan Tah earlier this week.

Verdict- 6/10

The key positions were addressed by Bayern, but they couldn’t complete the squad overhaul that was needed for the club to move ahead. Moreover, they also lost their top targets to RB Leipzig (Xavi Simons) and Paris Saint-Germain (Désiré Doué). It was a difficult first summer transfer window for Max Eberl and Christoph Freund. Bayern will hope they have done enough to bring silverware back to Allianz Arena this season. The next stage of the rebuild will be crucial for their long-term success.