As the 2025-2026 Bundesliga kicks in to gear, we must say goodbye to the summer silly season. Two months of wild clickbait speculations, mocking the decisions of sporting directors from the comfort of our armchairs, and angrily bickering with rival fans on transfer forums has come to an end. And like all good things, it sure ended with a bang. Thankfully this year, Dortmund managed to largely avoid the chaos that surrounds this fateful day, but that won’t stop me from looking at what the rest of the league
got up to.
Let’s get into both the good, and the not so good.
Attacking Midfielders Steal the Show
While Koln has undoubtedly been the more impressive of the two promoted teams so far, Hamburg turned up the heat with their last-minute transfers this year. After snagging a decent midfielder for a steal of a price (€300K!?) in Albert Lokonga, they decided they hadn’t had enough of raiding Arsenal and doubled down. None other than Fabio Vieira, who had been linked with the likes of Stuttgart and West Ham, made the switch and was loaned out to Hamburg for a year, with an option to buy as well. Once considered the potential future of Arsenal, he has languished for a while, but still showed during his loan last season at Porto that he is a capable player, with 11 scorers to his name. Hamburg’s ability to attract a player of that caliber showed that despite all their difficulties in the past seven years, they still really are one of Germany’s biggest clubs. This transfer is a statement from them, they don’t just intend to stay up this year, they want to compete.
Not to be outdone by some promoted upstarts, Stuttgart also made an impressive transfer with their acquisition of Bilal El Khannouss. The young Moroccan talent had signed for Leicester last season, but despite a decent showing in the Prem, was unable to keep his squad from avoiding the drop. While Stuttgart had their eye on the 21-year-old for a while, it had seemed unlikely, with bigger names and Champions League clubs closing in. In walks €85M courtesy of Nick Woltemade, and suddenly the opportunity opened up for them. El Khannouss likewise signed on loan, with an obligation to buy, likely tied to appearances made. A top talent, he possesses strong attacking abilities, able to effectively progress the ball up the pitch, deliver dangerous passes into the final third, and finish off chances of his own. This transfer really sums up all the great strides Stuttgart has made, its hard to believe that barely three seasons ago, they had escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth.
Honourable mention to Augsburg as well, who secured themselves two top signings as well with Ismael Gharbi, an ex-PSG talent (we all know how dangerous they are), and Fabian Rieder, another last minute attacking midfielder. I didn’t rate Augsburg going into the season at first, but after their first couple of games and some pretty solid transfers, I think Sandro Wagner’s boys might be a force to be reckoned with.
Not all can be Smooth Sailing
The Nicholas Jackson saga was like a car crash that would never end. With Bayern’s board shooting Max Eberl in the foot with their public declaration that they will only be seeking loans, it promised a messy conclusion to their off season. Jackson, who was unceremoniously hooked mid CWC and replaced with new signing Joao Pedro, was obviously bound for the exit door. Chelsea had a squad of 43 players (how is this even allowed), and they clearly wanted to and needed to permanently offload many of them. After repeatedly refusing to loan Jackson, it appears Chelsea partially caved, and deal was struck. Supposedly, the deal involved a record €15M loan fee, along with an option to buy. Everything seemed set and Jackson was even in Munich when suddenly, boom, Liam Delap injures himself in a game for Chelsea. Deal was off with two days left in the window, all hands to panic stations. And based on the results of the deal, Bayern sure did panic. Not only was the fee increased to €16.5M, but now it includes an obligation to buy of €65M. To add insult to injury, the total package cost, if all bonuses are achieved, is equal to what Newcastle paid for failed Bayern transfer target, Nick Woltemade. No wonder it is rumoured that Max Eberl is considering the exit door this October.
Despite all of Bayern’s chaos, nothing could match Bayer Leverkusen and their transfer of … Erik Ten Hag!? Bayer Leverkusen continue in their record setting ways as they fire their manager after only two Bundesliga games in charge, a new record for the league. As someone who watched most of the preseason games and all of the professional matches, Leverkusen looked like a disorganized mess on the pitch. Apparently blowing a 3-1 lead against a ten-man Werder Bremen was the straw that broke the camel’s back. With a squad overhaul that saw 16 arrivals and 17 departures, one ought to be forgiven for not hitting the ground running. Most reports tend to say that Ten Hag never won over the players, and that there were fairly large tensions internally in the club. Personally, I prefer the colorful theory of football influencer and HSV Superfan Fiago, which one can find on his Twitter page. Given the abruptness of the whole episode, I’m not even sure its that unbelievable…
Your Thoughts?
What did you think of this predictably wild deadline day? Are you disappointed Dortmund didn’t decide to join in the fun? Just think, if they had the skill of Bayern, Dortmund could have secured the likes of Christopher Nkunku for €20M loan fee + €50M obligation to buy!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and feel free to critique me, it’s my first proper article here after all!
