The summer transfer window has officially closed. Bayern Munich spent €88M to acquire new players, received €95M from outgoing transfers, and reduced the wage bill by eight figures. The power struggle between the board of directors (cough, Uli Hoeneß) and sporting director Max Eberl is on the highway to the danger zone, leaving Vincent Kompany with a small squad until reinforcements arrive from the surgery ward at the hospital.
Luckily, Bayern is positioned to dominate the Bundesliga due to the mass
exodus of rising stars to the Premier League, including Florian Wirtz, Benjamin Šeško, Nick Woltemade, Jamie Gittens, Jeremie Frimpong, and Xavi Simons.
“A”mazing
Mathys Tel (€35M transfer to Tottenham): Tel exploded onto the scene as a teenager under Thomas Tuchel, scoring six goals in a 237-minutes span as a super sub. The talent and potential was obvious but when adversity hit the young Frenchman, he struggled to overcome the situation. A change of scenery was the right move for the player and Bayern turned a massive profit.
João Palhinha (€5M loan to Tottenham): Palhinha arrived at Bayern last summer for the same transfer amount as Michael Olise. Palhinha ultimately failed to find a consistent footing as he dealt with poorly timed injuries, a competitive midfield, and a mismatched style of play in the Bundesliga.
Jonah Kusi-Asare (€4M loan to Fulham): With the addition of Nicolas Jackson as the backup striker behind Harry Kane, Kusi-Asare’s playing time would have been zapped completely. Instead, the 18-year old will earn invaluable experience in a league that fits his playing style.
“B”eneficial
Luis Díaz (€70M transfer from Liverpool): Similar to Harry Kane’s arrival, Díaz has brought a new element to the squad. Díaz’s Colombian flare, work ethic, and social media activity has won over fans. However, he was expensive for a 28-year old winger who is not a reliable finisher.
Jonathan Tah (free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen): Tah immediately established himself as a leader and supplanted Kim Min-jae as the starting center-back next to Dayot Upamecano. Turning 30 years old this season, Tah is likely unsellable and should have been the replacement for Eric Dier as the team’s third center-back option.
Nick Woltemade (€85M+€5M transfer to Newcastle): Bayern made a solid effort to acquire the lanky attacker from Stuttgart but were worlds apart on the financial terms. Stuttgart’s shrewd front office was rewarded for its formidable approach by an up-and-coming Premier League club who will fund the purchase with the sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool. Woltemade is relatively unproven and the value simply was not enough to justify an outrageous spend.
Leroy Sané (free transfer to Galatasaray): During the 2023 Hinrunde, Sané was arguably the best player in the Bundesliga and possibly the world. He picked up a nagging groin injury that grounded his game, especially as a finisher. He never rediscovered his confidence and will need to reinvent himself in Türkiye to make the World Cup roster for Germany next summer.
Thomas Müller (free transfer to Vancouver Whitecaps): After 25 years at the club, it was finally time for the Raumdeuter to say goodbye. His exit was communicated poorly by the club but it was the correct decision for all parties.
Frans Krätzig (€3.5M transfer to Red Bull Salzburg): The 22-year old midfielder rose through the ranks at the academy but is still looking for his big break at the professional level. He has already established himself as the starting left back in Salzburg.
Bryan Zaragoza (€1M loan to Celta de Vigo): This is a quality move, especially with the obligation-to-buy clause. Zaragoza was a key member of Osasuna’s squad last season and is a better fit in La Liga.
Maurice Krattenmacher (undisclosed loan to Hertha Berlin): Krattenmacher was on loan at SSV Ulm last season. Ulm was relegated to the third division but Krattenmacher was able to secure another season in the second division with Hertha Berlin.
Lovro Zvonarek (undisclosed loan to Grasshoppers): Last season, Zvonarek played 13 games to help Sturm Graz repeat as champions in the Austrian Bundesliga. He should be a steady figure for Zurich club.
Tarek Buchmann (undisclosed loan to FC Nuremberg): Buchmann’s potential rise through the Bayern system has been stymied by muscular injuries. He will need to prove he can survive a full season if he wants to make it as a professional footballer.
“C”ommon
Nicolas Jackson (€16.5M loan from Chelsea): Jackson is a young streaky scorer but an awkward fit for Bayern’s possession-based attack. This move only makes sense if Kane has already informed the team that he is leaving next summer and Bayern has identified Jackson as his replacement. This was a cringe deal before the last minute theatrics from Chelsea and highlights the misaligment between Hoeneß and Eberl.
Tom Bischof (free transfer from Hoffenheim): Bischof was a promising young player on a relegation zone Bundesliga squad. He is only 20-years-old and has held his own but failed to claim a spot in the staring XI this summer. Once he recovers from his appendix surgery, it will likely require an injury to Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović or Leon Goretzka for Bischof to earn quality minutes this season.
Daniel Peretz (€250K loan to Hamburger SV): Thanks to the arrival of Jonas Urbig, a loan move for Peretz is the right move. Unfortunately, Peretz was unable to beat out Daniel Heuer Fernandes for the starting job and is sitting as the backup goalkeeper.
Nico Williams (10-year contract extension at Athletic Bilbao): A move to Bayern was never as likely as the media suggested. He would have been a fantastic fit but opted to stay at his current club where he will also be successful.
Adam Aznou (€9M transfer to Everton): There was always a major disconnect between Aznou’s camp and reality. After a short loan at Real Valladolid that ended in a relegation, the teenage left-back returned to Bayern as the last choice at left back. He grew frustrated when he was still behind Josip Stanišić and Raphaël Guerreiro. He should have gone back out on loan but the club had seen enough.
Gabriel Vidović (€1.2M transfer to Dinamo Zagreb): Vidović played the best football of his career on loan at Dinamo Zagreb back in the 2023/24 campaign. This loan deal should have been completed after that season but instead he returned to the Bundesliga for a failed loan spell at Mainz.
Arijon Ibrahimović (undisclosed loan to Heidenheim): This will be Ibrahimović’s third loan in two years after disappointing spells at Frosinone and Lazio. He will need to show a successful at a smaller club before returning to Bayern.
“D”isappointing
Eric Dier (free transfer to Monaco): In terms of value to the squad, Dier is the biggest loss of the season (calm down, Müller Mafia). Bayern was only willing to offer a one-year extension as a backup while Monaco offered a three-year deal to be a starter. For a competitor like Dier, the choice was obvious and Bayern’s defense will suffer the consequences.
Kingsley Coman (€25M transfer to Al-Nassr): After winning literally everything at Bayern over the past decade, Coman was shipped off to the Saudi league. It will be a nice payday for the Frenchman but Bayern gave away a quality player for a very low fee. Even worse, Bayern didn’t even use the funds to find a replacement.
Paul Wanner (€15M transfer to PSV Eindhoven): The transfer itself was a good financial deal and a decent landing spot for Wanner but the low grade comes from the trajectory of Wanner’s young career. After Jamal Musiala was injured in the FIFA Club World Cup, it felt a bit serendipitous for Wanner to finally get his shot after loan stints at Heidenheim and Elversberg. Instead, he could not even beat out an “over the hill” version of Serge Gnabry.
Ademola Lookman (€33M offer rejected by Atalanta): Lookman scored double-digit goals in three consecutive seasons in Serie A and is hitting the prime of his career. This deal should have been finalized a month ago when Coman was sent to Al-Nassr. Instead, Bayern reached out at the last minute with a lowball loan and option-to-buy offer that didn’t match any of Atalanta’s requirements.
“F”ailure
Florian Wirtz (€125M transfer to Liverpool): Nothing about this situation was handled properly by Bayern. This deal was gift wrapped for over a year, everyone got complacent, then Liverpool crushed their presentation. Wirtz is the perfect complement to Musiala. The budding chemistry between would have lifted Germany to new heights as well. The club specifically earmarked big money for Wirtz and Wirtz only. The only silver lining is that Wirtz is only 22 years old and might find his way back to Germany in his late twenties.
Overall Grade: C
On the positive side, Bayern replaced key contributors with quality players, found favorable loan deals, and remain the Bundesliga favorites. On the negative side, Bayern failed to upgrade the squad in terms of quality and quantity, leaving Kompany concerned about squad depth. Kompany will be forced to rely on inexperienced youngsters like Lennart Karl and Jonah Kusi-Asare to fill the void, then pray for no more injuries until Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Hiroki Itō are healthy enough to return to the lineup.
