The superstars Lewandowski and Haaland are gone, but the Bundesliga is upgrading significantly in the summer. Actually, Borussia Dortmund wants to reach for the championship trophy with a transfer offensive. But FC Bayern countered – and easily topped BVB. Then there is a certain Mario Götze.
Borussia Dortmund went on the transfer offensive, but Bayern Munich countered more than impressively: Sadio Mané and Matthijs de Ligt are the top purchases of the summer in the Bundesliga, they should lead the record champions to the eleventh championship in a row. “The activities of the two Bayern bosses on the transfer market are really fantastic – there’s no other way to put it,” wrote record national player Lothar Matthäus recently in his Sky column.
Despite well-known newcomers, BVB is the first contender for the runner-up championship. It could get exciting for the places behind the top favourites. The departures of world footballer Robert Lewandowski and storm tank Erling Haaland have weakened the league in terms of attractiveness, but Bayern immediately provided replacements. “The fans come to the stadiums for such unique footballers,” said Bayern President Herbert Heiner.
Star newcomer Mané from FC Liverpool brings a certain magic and unpredictability with him, scored straight away in the Supercup last Saturday. Central defender and 77 million new signing de Ligt is also a real announcement and a transfer for the future. The Dutchman should lead the way at just 22 years of age.
At the beginning of the transfer window, it looked as if BVB would become a serious competitor for the title. First Dortmund snatched a national player from Bayern in Niklas Süle and then added two more DFB players in Nico Schlotterbeck from SC Freiburg and Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg.
Sébastien Haller was supposed to compensate for Haaland’s departure, but received the shock diagnosis during preparation: a malignant testicular tumor. The new goalscorer is therefore not available until further notice. The fact that Haller “cannot play with us does not prevent us from playing for him,” said BVB coach Edin Terzic with emotional words. It is more than unlikely that the lively Adeyemi can replace the force of a Haaland instead.
In the fight for places behind the two top favorites, a lot seems possible. Cup winners Leipzig recently attracted attention with the transfer of David Raum (TSG Hoffenheim). Bayer, meanwhile, is focusing on continuity and has extended the contract with striker Patrik Schick and exceptional talent Florian Wirtz until 2027.
VfL Wolfsburg (35.25) and Eintracht Frankfurt (26) recorded the largest transfer expenditures behind Bayern and Dortmund (86 million). In particular, the Bundesliga return of world champion Mario Götze (most recently PSV Eindhoven) made headlines, he is said to play an important role in the Champions League mission for the Europa League winner.
And the climbers? Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 are big names in the Bundesliga. The Royal Blues in particular changed the squad thoroughly in the summer. Giving up big earners like Ozan Kabak and signing players with potential like Japan captain Maya Yoshida. Bremen, on the other hand, rely on continuity, the team coached by Ole Werner has changed little compared to the year of promotion. A top performer in Mitchell Weiser was kept, Bundesliga routine came with Amos Pieper from Arminia Bielefeld and Niklas Stark from Hertha BSC.
