Thread by @Munik86, Bayern Munich; Masters of the deal [THREAD] The world of football transfers [...]

Bayern Munich; Masters of the deal

[THREAD]

The world of football transfers was turned on its head in August 2017, when Neymar was bought by PSG from Barca for €222m. A deal in total cost them over €500m

A new precedent was set.

The move came about after Barcelona publicly signalled their intent to poach Marco Veratti from PSG. The Parisians retaliation was brutal, when they activated Neymar’s seemingly impossible release clause, to bring him to the French capital.

A move that was seen as muscle flexing by the French champions, but was it a deal that ultimately changed how transfers are conducted now? Is it a dangerous precedent to set, and especially nowadays, when clubs will be tightening their belts for years, due to the pandemic.

One of the things that Bayern Munich get simultaneously praised for and criticised for, is their frugalness in the transfer window.

But in this period we are in right now, might this be the new way forward for other clubs to follow suit?

Is the Bayern way, the new way?

Owners like the Qatari based group in charge of PSG are “obsessed” with winning the Champions League. Since their takeover in 2011, more than £1b has been pumped into the Paris project. They have since only got past the QF of the competition once in recent years.

Jose Mourinho once described Barcelona as being “obsessed” with the Champions League. Whilst the competition is the pinnacle of club football, the money pumped into the competition, and the seemingly willingness to spend astronomical amounts to win it, has taken over.

Bayern Munich have a strict policy, and no one is exempt from it.

“One can always make some crazy signings, but nothing unreasonable. We have a certain responsibility toward the club”, said former Sporting Director Matthias Sammer on Javi Martinez possibly joining Bayern

The then 23 year old, did join up with Bayern, after they activated his release clause of around €40m. This was, at the time, Bayern’s record signing. Forty million, a record deal for one of the richest and powerful clubs in the world. A staggering statistic.

In truth, Bayern were in need of new direction back then. Coming off back to back 2nd place league finishes to Dortmund. Christian Nerlinger was fired as sporting director, and Matthias Sammer came in, in his place.

“The goal is to leapfrog Borussia Dortmund again [as Germany’s dominant team], and Christian Nerlinger failed to do that. Sammer will have the same difficult task at hand”, said former Bayern midfielder Thomas Strunz on Sammers appointment.

“In the end, Sammers success will be measured by Bayern’s position in the table when the season is over. You’re always judged on the amount of titles you win at this club”, Strunz went on to say.

Matthias Sammer was well aware of what is required at Bayern.

“I’m of the opinion that, when you work for Bayern Munich, it is your obligation to succeed”, Sammer said, after the 12/13 season, which saw Bayern pick up a historic Treble.

Tying up players like Javi Martinez, and for such a fee back then, raised more than a few eyebrows.

But it was Sammers resolve and determination, that ultimately got the deal done. Sammer pulled off a coaching coup for the 2013 season, when he lured Pep Guardiola to the Allianz, two men with whom success is seemingly sown into their DNA.

Bayern were back, this was the best team in the world, with now, seen as many, the best manager in the world.

One could make the point that this team did not need much tinkering with, in terms of arrivals. After all, how do you improve on perfection.

It has since been revealed that Pep Guardiola declined his new contract at Bayern, due to lack of backing in the transfer market.

“FC Bayern’s transfer policy was a misunderstanding between Pep and the club from the get-go”, wrote Christian Falk, in a new book about FCBayern.

The veteran insider continues; “During his tenure at Bayern, Guardiola dreamed of players like Paul Pogba, Marco Veratti, Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, and Raheem Sterling. Bayern’s then technical director Michael Reschke offered him players like Gonzalo Castro

or Hakan Calhanoglu”

As Falk puts it, the fact that Bayern persuaded Pep to pull out of a deal to bring in Neymar, and instead sign Mario Gotze “hurt him long in his soul”

It was also revealed that Pep wanted Bayern to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool.

During his tenure at Bayern, Pep brought in some real gems, on a reasonable budget, despite his claims to the latter.

Thiago Alcantara was his boy, famously spouting the phrase “Thiago or nothing” when linked with the former Barca youth player.

Pep brought in players like Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich, for fees barely reaching €10m each, a great example of Bayern’s transfer policy.

Bayern don’t buy superstars, Bayern make superstars.

Going back to Bayern’s willingness to sign Gotze over Neymar.

It was a move that ticked all the right boxes. He was seen as the next big thing in Germany, the German Messi. Bayern will always go for homegrown talent over big names. Gotze for me, had the potential to be a Ballon D’or winner, so there was no doubt it was the right choice.

It would be 5 years before Bayern Munich broke their transfer record once more. Midfielder Corentin Tolisso arrived for just shy of €41, moving him clear of Javi Martinez as Bayern’s record transfer.

“Staying down-to-earth is very important” said Tolisso when asked about

becoming the most expensive player in Bayern history.

“Don’t daydream, live your dreams”, Tolisso wrote on his Instagram after signing for Bayern.

“It is time”, said then-president Uli Hoeness, talking about Bayern’s need to change their transfer policy by refreshing the squad with youthful signings.

Unlike Pep Guardiola, current manager Hansi Flick understands Bayern’s shrewd transfer policy

“Hansi supports our system,” current sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said of Flick.

“He knows that economically, we are not in a position to buy ready-made players for a lot of money every year. We need to develop players with talent as well in order to strengthen our team”

Former Bayern striker Sandro Wagner was another to defend Bayern’s transfer policy;

“Kalle, Uli and Brazzo should be trusted and left to work in peace. I don’t think Bayern has been that bad over the past 30 years. Now It’s almost ridiculous that you’re publicly celebrated

for buying as many players as you can”. The former Bayern man went on to commend clubs who focus on what they have, instead of wholesale changes. “It is more commendable if, like Tottenham or Bayern, you rely on your first team from last year and only do something at certain

points to really develop your team- and not to satisfy the public with names and sums”

That final part stands the most true. We are in a stage now where money has taken over the game. And what you spend, is seen to reflect on how you are as a club, and where you’re going to go

The ‘football manager’ generation, and the rise of transfer fees, has seen clubs get publicly slated for not spending what their fans believe is acceptable. Forgetting that these are businesses, and especially for someone like Bayern, who aren’t bankrolled by a state.

It has been 10 years since David Alaba made his Bayern debut, and the club has not produced many academy graduates since.

Hansi Flick has been given a mandate that includes promoting youth into the first team, and coupled with the 5 subs law, should provide more minutes for them

August 2017 saw the opening of a new state-of-the-art academy, lorded as one of the best in the world. Former president Uli Hoeness believes it will revolutionise the club’s youth strategy.

“In the last few years, the results of our work haven’t been good. No player has even

come close to making the first team since David Alaba,” Hoeness said. “The new FC Bayern Campus will also provide one answer to the current transfer madness and the explosion of salaries”

“It took just two years to build this beautiful state of the art facility. Something that they don’t have in the states, and it’s just a blessing to be here,” said youngster Chris Richards, when touring the new Campus.

Chris Richards and Jamal Musiala are seen by many

as the strongest candidates to challenge for first team places.

“It is our goal to develop youth players who have the potential to become rightful successors of players like Schweinsteiger, Müller, Lahm and Alaba, into pros for FC Bayern,” Oliver Kahn said.

The newest policy outlined by Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, centres around a “two pillar” policy.

The meaning behind this policy, is that one pillar is based around investing in “already proven” players, such as Leroy Sane. The second pillar centres around scouting

and finding young talents who over time, will be integrated in the first team- much like Alphonso Davies.

Dortmund Youngster Jude Bellingham visited Bayern facilities back in 2018, but eventually decided on Dortmund.

It is however, becoming more difficult for Bayern to attract youngsters, with many believing it is a bad starting point to start their career. Some believe because the Bayern team is packed full of world class players, and will be afraid of getting few minutes with the first team

One could argue that the biggest ‘names’ in brought in by Bayern in recent years have arrived on loan deals.

The likes of James Rodriguez, Ivan Perisic and Philippe Coutinho were brought in to flesh out the squad.

Bayern have suffered big money flops, most notably the €35m spent to bring in wonderkid, Renato Sanches. Add to that list Mehdi Benatia, and to some extent Douglas Costa.

If you take away fees paid for release clauses, as is the case with Lucas Hernandez and Javi Martinez, then Leroy Sane is Bayern’s record fee paid, at around €49m. It was reported Man City were looking for over 100m, a deal that Bayern were never going to sanction.

In 19/20 Bayern spent €129m to bring in the likes of Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard.

This was only the second time in the last 10 years that Bayern have spent over €100m in a transfer window. The other occasion was the 17/18 season, where Corentin Tolisso, Kingsley

Coman and Niklas Süle, pushed the spending to €108m

In the way the footballing world has gone in recent years, surely it is time for clubs to tighten their belts accordingly.

Is this Bayern policy the way forward? Having a good mix of youngsters and developed ‘stars’

This is a hugely successful team, and has a massive history of success. The winning mentality is built into all players who pull on the jersey.

Being wary with your money is even more important nowadays, but even more so. It is important to bring in the right players.

The MiaSanMia attitude has to be the core aspect when looking for a player, not spending ridiculous funds just to appease fans.

We are FCBayern, and we are the masters of the deal

#MiaSanMia

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