Grading the summer transfer window: Bayern Munich
After six straight Bundesliga crowns, how do you improve the undisputed best team in Germany? Well, they always say that if you’re not moving forward then you’re going backwards and with many criticising Carlo Ancelotti’s lacklustre side last season, there needed to be some form of evolution in the transfer market.
The club could no longer rely on the ageing duo of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, they also needed that extra bit of quality to push past the Spanish sides in Europe. So did they finally splash a bit more cash to go that one step further? Or have they stood still in the hope that the others around them haven’t caught up? Let’s take a look.
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James Rodriguez
It’s been tough for the Colombian in Real Madrid. With the emergence of Marco Asensio and the form of Isco in his position, James Rodriguez just didn’t have a regular place in the starting line-up that he craves.
However, he could not have hoped for a better sideways step to this one. A move to Bavaria, with a club looking for more young, creative players, came at the perfect time and gives him a chance to show Los Blancos exactly what they are missing.
Eight goals and eight assists in all competitions last season is nothing to be sniffed at, especially as he only played 28 games. If he can keep up that kind of output with regular football at the Allianz Arena, he could be a revelation for a team that loves special footballers.
Finding the form that saw him win the Golden Ball at the 2012 World Cup might be beyond him but if he can get anywhere close, this will look like a sensational move. A two-year loan with a low option to buy, Bayern are almost the experts at finding these clever little moves out of nowhere.
Grade: 8/10