Bayern Munich 2.0: A Piece of Art or Desperation

Owen Hargreaves (25m Euros / Manchester United)
Who could have seen this one coming? Paying as much as 25 million Euros for him is a bit extreme though. Torsten Frings would probably be worth around 40 million Euros then. He will nonetheless be missed in Munich’s defensive midfield. They didn’t sign any direct replacement for him. Looks like van Bommel and Zé Roberto will do his job now, or Ottl and Demichelis have to step up.

Claudio Pizarro (Free Transfer / Chelsea London)
It seems that Mourinho has a weak spot for Bundesliga players at the moment. Pizarro will be following Ballack and Boulahrouz who have both failed to make their mark at the club so far. Pizarro looks like a potential bench warmer as well at the moment. Bayern refused to extend his contract after he demanded an excessive salary raise. Not a complete failure at Munich but nothing special either.

Hasan Salihamidzic (Free Transfer / Juventus Turin)
Nine years in Munich and dozens of titles were enough for “Brazzo”. He will join Turin for the next four years. Has been one of the few Bayern players to show some passion on the pitch this season. And he has a touching story to tell as I found out just today.

José Ernesto Sosa (4.5-6m Euros / Estudiantes de la Plata)
Sosa still represents Bayern Munich’s old acquisition strategy. But that doesn’t make him less of an interesting player. He is one of those could be/would be top players who was signed to bring more creativity to the midfield. He won the Argentinean Clausura league and was linked with moves to clubs like Atlético Madrid, Juventus or Lazio Rome. Probably won’t make it into the starting formation as Ribéry looks set to fill out his position now.

Jan Schlaudraff (1.2m Euros / Alemannia Aachen)
He scored one of my favorite goals this season. He made it into the German national team. He more or less disappeared in the second half of the season. Looks like a nice strategic option to have on the squad i.e., a substitute. A lot of Bundesliga clubs were interested but it was Munich’s bid that he accepted. Uli Hoeness was a bit of a bully afterwards and said something along the lines of: “I showed those other clubs who is boss in the Bundesliga. If we want a player we get him.” The press criticised the move speculating wether there is any place for Jan on the squad or if Uli Hoeness just signed him so that other clubs couldn’t have him. One thing is for sure: the chance to play full 90 minute matches would have been bigger with a different club.

Marcell Jansen (12m Euros / Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Great player, wrong team. Marcell Jansen had a great post World Cup year in the national team and I’m looking forward to see how his talent will develop in the coming years. The problem: he is competing with Philipp Lahm on his position. Jogi Löw has decided to move Lahm to the right side and play with both players. Bayern Munich has Willy Sagnol on the right side. As I see it he will probably waste some time on the bench.

Luca Toni (11m Euros / Fiorentina)
I missed taking a closer look at him during the World Cup. His recent success story is impressive with 49 Serie A goals over two seasons and a World Cup win in between. So I’m willing to believe that he is a big signing and look forward to see him in action.

Franck Ribéry (25m Euros / Olympique de Marseille)
My personal favorite of all the new players. Although I base that opinion entirely on his performances during the World Cup and Euro 2008 qualifiers. He fell out of favour with Sam over at the France Offside though who thinks that Franck Ribéry is a moron who makes no sense. It seems that his Les Bleus teammate Willy Sagnol did a lot to persuade him to join the team.

Zé Roberto (Free Transfer / FC Santos)
Zé Roberto had left Bayern Munich on a free transfer to FC Santos just one year ago. Then he became the best player in the Brazilian league. Now he is close to sign a two year contract with Bayern Munich again. He already fulfilled Bayern Munich’s request and ended his career in the Brazilian national team. I wonder wether he is supposed to be the creative playmaker or head of the new squad.

Miroslav Klose (10-15m Euros / Werder Bremen)
Klose recently announced that he will be playing for Bayern Munich (in 2008 at the latest). So the only thing left to negotiate would be the transfer fee: Bremen wants 15 million Euros while Bayern is willing to pay up to 12 million Euros. That’s what is currently being reported. But now the situation has changed once again. Lyon is officially interested in Klose as well, and in an interview with Stern.de Klose confirmed that Lyon has contacted his agent but wasn’t willing to comment on the issue any further. Lyon seems to be ready to pay Bremen’s asking price, and Diarra could be on his way to Bremen at the same time. The Lyon move would be my favorite scenario at the moment. Bayern already has enough quality up front. Klose’s move to Bayern would just further increase Podolski’s time on the bench.

Roy Makaay (- / -)
The situation here is quite simple. Klose joins the club - Makaay leaves. Klose goes somewhere else or stays in Bremen - Makaay stays. It’s worth pointing out that Makaay has been Bayern Munich’s best striker over the last few years and scored sixteen goals again this season.