It doesn’t take just heavy spending, although Bayern Munich might prove this wrong, to turn a club’s future around. Business acumen helps sides go a long way, and sporting directors in Germany play a major role in bargaining and enticing the right players to their respective clubs. A number of Bundesliga sides strengthened their rosters this summer but only some of those signings really merit applause because of the sheer genius involved in bringing them about. Taking into account both the players’ performances in the Hinrunde and the amount paid for him, here is a look at the top 5 summer signings in the Bundesliga.
5. Johannes Geis (Mainz 05)
At just 20 years of age and with a mere 520 minutes in the Bundesliga for lowly Greuther Fürth, earning a starting berth was probably never on the cards for Johannes Geis. Add to this the relatively stability of the midfield unit of Elkin Soto and Julian Baumgartliner, Geis seemed to arrive as backup more than anything. An early injury to Soto helped Geis into the starting lineup and he has taken the opportunity, becoming a mainstay of Mainz’s midfield.
Geis averages about 3.5 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game, the former number being a club high this season. He also helps in maintaining possession and initiating attacks from deep. The defensive midfielder has also provided three assists this season, an appreciable number for a player deployed in such a role. Compounding the brilliance of Geis’ solid performances for Mainz is the miniscule fee for which he arrived, just 900,000€.
4. Shinji Okazaki (Mainz 05)
Christian Heidel’s magic didn’t end with the acquisition of just Johannes Geis. Heidel brought in a total of eight players in the summer and although some of them are yet to find their footing in Thomas Tuchel’s side, Shinji Okazaki has managed to get into his stride and make the Mainz faithful forget about their former frontman, Adam Szalai.
Okazaki began with a bang, scoring against his former club, VfB Stuttgart, on debut. His form seemed to be slipping since then but the Japanese international hit the top in late October. He already has eight goals to his name making him the club’s highest scorer along with Nicolai Müller. The 27-year-old also arrived for a relatively small fee by today’s standards, 1.5 million€, making him yet another steal for Heidel and co.
3. Christoph Kramer (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
At just 20, Christoph Kramer was shipped off to VfL Bochum in order to gain experience and hopefully become a regular feature at Bayer Leverkusen. Two years hence, Leverkusen decided to send Kramer on yet another two-year-long loan to Borussia Park. And the Foals couldn’t have asked for a better offer. With a measly 200,000€ associated with the loan, the money factor is almost completely wiped out here.
On the performance front, Kramer has been absolutely brilliant. He has ousted Havard Nordtveit from Lucien Favre’s midfield, and thereby formed a hard hitting partnership with the seemingly faltering Granit Xhaka. Not only has Kramer been brilliant in midfield, he has also helped in revitalizing the ever so promising Xhaka, thereby forming a much needed shield for Gladbach’s defense. What Leverkusen decide to do with Kramer after his two year spell remains to be seen. He surely isn’t a talent one would want to miss out on!
2. Pierre-Michel Lasogga (Hamburger SV)
There’s yet another loan deal featuring here, only this time it’s a far more attacking player involved. Former U-21 German international Pierre-Michel Lasogga made the temporary shift west to Hamburg this summer. Following limited time in the U-21 European Championships and an injury plagued 2012-13 season, Lasogga’s arrival was met with a tinge of pessimism. Would the 22-year-old finally be able to live up to the hype that surrounded him a couple of seasons ago?
Well, Lasogga’s first six months with Hamburg have been nothing short of spectacular. Despite starting life at the Imtech Arena injured, he has managed to score nine goals in just eleven starts. Lasogga has been a constant threat this Hinrunde, averaging 3.7 shots per game, a number bettered only by Robert Lewandowski and Mame Biram Diouf. It will take something special to stop this burly lad in the Rückrunde.
1. Max Kruse (Borrusia Mönchengladbach)
Just like Heidel, Gladbach’s Max Eberl has two signings to his name that feature on this list. The second name to his credit and the best signing by far this season is Max Kruse. From 2.Bundesliga obscurity to a call-up to the German national team in just a couple of seasons, Kruse’s rise has been astronomical. Despite being the costliest signing in this list, at 2.5 million€, Kruse’s impact at Borussia Park has been immense.
Kruse, used as a Neuneinhalber, has formed a scintillating attacking quartet along with Raffael, Juan Arango and Patrick Herrmann. Despite failing to score in Gladbach’s last two games Kruse has eight goals to his name in seventeen Bundesliga appearances this season. He also boasts of five assists this season, making him the joint sixth highest. At this rate, it seems like Kruse will be going to Brazil with the German national team and also be making a move into the echelons of continental club football next season.