The penultimate edition of 18 Bundesliga transfer primers to be published here on Get German Football News covers FC Bayern München. The German record champions roll on through a record-setting year...
The penultimate edition of 18 Bundesliga transfer primers to be published here on Get German Football News covers FC Bayern München. The German record champions roll on through a record-setting year. Effectively nothing stands in the way of another Bundesliga title. The mighty German giants also find themselves well positioned to grab their first domestic cup in five years and once again compete for the Champions League crown.
Club CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen recently mocked all those who questioned whether Bayern’s relatively small roster might prove a hinderance. Any and all FCB doubters fully deserve it as well. The author at least proudly notes that he was not among the early detractors. The strength of Bayern’s small squad rendered it all obvious from the onset. The Bavarians would continue to dominate. Period.
Bayern and “German Football Personality of the Year” Harry Kane enter the new calendar year prepared to vacuum up more records, trophies, and honors. Every last stumbling block from 2025 (the drama over Thomas Müller’s departure, Max Eberl’s issues with Uli Hoeneß, the failure to pick up Nick Woltemade, or the controversy surrounding Jamal Musiala’s horror injury) belong firmly in the rear view mirror.
None of it mattered.
Most of it has been forgotten.
FC Bayern München
All too easy to project.
Winter Predictions Check, FC Bayern München
Predicted Table Position – 1st place
Actual Table Position – 1st place, 41 points
(13-W, 2-D, 0-L)
(+44 G-Diff)
The author isn’t terribly sure there’s all that much more to add. Such stats speak for themselves. Trainer Vincent Kompany’s (recently signed to a contract extension) can literally do no wrong with his unconventional personnel and tactical selections. Kompany’s new long-term contract extension positions him to steer the “Super Club” towards a bright future. The burgeoning young talent in the FCB ranks ensures that Kompany possesses all the tools he needs to build the next dynasty.
Reflecting on the talent Bayern opted to part company with during the offseason leaves one tending towards something of a metaphysical rut. How can it be assessed so precisely that certain players are past their prime? The sophistication of measurement and metrics threatens to reduce us all to easily discernible patterns. One can counter that Bayern have had more than their fair share of luck this year. Every decision was ultimately proved correct by the team’s success on the pitch.
Success erases false decisions and judgements.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t exist.
Autumn Transfer Assessment, FC Bayern München
Estimated Summer Transfer Balance = +€10.2m
One must credit Bayern for declining to make any major personnel investments beyond Luis Diaz; an unquestionable “gold star transfer” fully worthy of the €70m rendered unto Liverpool. Nicolas Jackson’s production numbers also fully merit the €16.5m loan fee paid to Chelsea. As sheisty as it was for Bayern to deliberately maneuver their way around Jackson’s automatic purchase clause, footballing management simply requires such shrewd moves sometimes. Romanticism belongs on the pitch as opposed to the front office.
On the topic of shrewd moves, it’s worth reiterating that both Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof joined Bayern on frees. The negligible fees paid to Leverkusen and Hoffenheim to acquire Tah and Bischof early for the Club World Cup amount to nothing more than chicken scratch. The hefty signing bonuses paid to both players (totaling approximately €20m together) also count as money well spent. Eberl and the club front office demonstrated strength in resisting the demands of other clubs for high profile players.
Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund also collected solid fees from the sales of players like Adam Aznou, Paul Wanner, Mathys Tel, and Kingsley Coman. The Joao Palhinha and Jonah Kusi-Asare loan deals came attached with fees. Seven-figure transfer fees from the Frans Krätzig and Gabriel Vidovic sales? Eberl and Freund simply know what they’re doing. The only person capable of sabotaging the duo at this point would be Hoeneß.
Dead Weight Ledger and Expiring Contracts, FC Bayern München
Bayern’s small squad size understandably yields only one legitimate piece of dead weight. French fullback flop Sacha Boey is free to depart assuming a taker can be found. Of the six players sitting on expiring contracts, it looks to be the case that most of the FCB administrative rigor will be poured into extending with Dayot Upamecano and selling Raphaël Guerreiro. The author doesn’t make much of the rumors linking Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry with January moves away from the club. Much points in the direction of them remaining.
Neither Goretzka nor Gnabry will wish to jeopardize their German national team chances by moving to foreign environs that offer them only dubious playing prospects. For whatever it’s worth, the basic prediction holds that both players will remain, continue to thrive, and potentially sign one-year-contract extensions later this spring. Bayern have the financial resources to pay both players a reasonable enough salary and the two DFB representatives also don’t need the distraction of negotiating free transfers with other clubs.
Whether the goalkeeping duo of Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich will receive new one-year-deals for the third consecutive year is anyone’s guess at this point. Bayern appear ready to roll with Jonas Urbig next year, but won’t deny Neuer a chance to compete if he still desires it. Neuer also has no need to demand any sort of lucrative arrangement at this stage of his career. He’ll play for a relative pittance if he wants to. Somehow, one doesn’t see Neuer opting to finish his career out in relative obscurity elsewhere.
Dead-Weight Ledger = Sacha Boey (RB)
Expiring Contracts = Manuel Neuer (GK), Sven Ulreich (GK), Dayot Upamecano (CB), Raphaël Guerreiro (LB), Leon Goretzka (CM), Serge Gnabry (AM)
Further Needs and Rumored Links, FC Bayern München
The chatter surrounding center backs such as Marc Guéhi shouldn’t amount to much if (as expected) Upamecano extends. It remains entirely possible that we might not see any new signings at all from Bayern this winter. The old adage of nothing really being broken applies doubly here. On the contrary. That which was broken steadily heals. Injured actors Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Hiroki Ito are all on the way back.
The author considered placing 17-year-old prospect Wisdom Mike on the dead-weight ledger above, but he too probably needs to remain due to the squad size. Though it may not be entirely logical, Bayern might as well give Mike a shot at emulating Lennart Karl’s success in the Bundesliga. Given the huge points gap at the top, the club even has nothing to lose by handing Mike and other prospects more league playing time.
A Boey may be the only transaction we see this time.
Further Needs = GK, CB, CM, RM, RW
Rumored Links = Marc André ter Stegen (GK), Virgilio Olaya (CB), Marc Guéhi (CB), Alessandro Bastoni (CB), Castello Lukeba (CB), Ibrahima Konaté (CB) Carlos Baleba (DM), Kees Smit (CM), Kobbie Mainoo (CM), Julien Duranville (LW), Malick Fofana (LW), Darío Osorio (RW)
Category: General Sports
