Bayern Munich experienced a whirlwind of activity in the most recent transfer window that saw the likes of Michael Olise, João Palhinha, and Hiroki Ito join the club with Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Malik Tillman all securing permanent transfers away.
In a recent interview with DH les Sports + (captured via @iMiaSanMia), new Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany responded to a question about his level of satisfaction with Bayern’s activity in the transfer window, stating, “I have a phenomenal squad. But compared to the past, the competition – Leverkusen, Leipzig, Dortmund and more – has become stronger too. From a footballing point of view, it’s become more difficult to dominate the league.”
While Kompany’s statement surrounding the competition in the league seemingly reflects reality, a more interesting question reveals itself. Why has Bayern’s standing relative to the rest of the league decreased?
Bayern has an inflated reputation of “stealing” talent away from its competitors within the Bundesliga, but looking at recent seasons it becomes difficult to make the argument that such is the case. Yes, the club signed the former RB Leipzig trio of Marcel Sabitzer, Dayot Upamecano, and Konrad Laimer in recent seasons in addition to the acquisition of Raphael Guerreiro from Borussia Dortmund. However, these transfers aren’t on the same level as the moves made for Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels, and Mario Götze in the early to mid-2010s. None of Christopher Nkunku, Erling Haaland, or Jude Bellingham has ended up at Bayern.
So is it Bayern’s waning ability to poach talent away from its competitors that is making life more difficult for itself, or have the rest of the teams in the league simply employed better strategies to raise their level?
