Claudio Pizarro has today extended his contract with Bayern Munich. The Peruvian has prolonged his second spell at Bayern Munich after returning to Bavaria in 2012, when his contract at Werder Bremen. Pizarro has commonly found himself playing second fiddle to Mario Mandzukic in the last two seasons, but is content to do so and seemingly doesn't mind to sit out at the expense of Robert Lewandowski next season. At the age of 35 which can easily be considered as the twilight years of a footballer's career, it is unlikely that any complaints will come from the Peruvian's camp in regards to his playing time. The news will be greeted fondly by Bayern supporters, as well as Guardiola's back room staff - as Pizarro found the back of the net ten times in just seventeen appearances last term; with the majority of those appearances coming from the bench. Pizarro is already the highest scoring foreigner in Bundesliga history, so the latest extension allows him the platform to increase his tally before his Bundesliga playing days come to an end.
Further north of Bavaria, there has also been significant activity from both Werder Bremen and VfL Wolfsburg respectively. Werder Bremen today were dealt with two departures from their camp. The first being Sebastian Mielitz, who swaps Bremen for Freiburg. Mielitz made sixty-two professional appearances for Bremen after spending nine years in Northern Germany, but now faces the task of replacing former Freiburg shot-stopper, Oliver Baumann - who signed for Hoffenheim earlier this month. Freiburg have moved quickly to fill the void left by the German. The two clubs situations regarding goalkeepers now contrast, as Bremen are left with the tough task of replacing Mielitz. A fee of the transfer has yet to be confirmed by either club. Mielitz explained his decision in an interview with the official Bundesliga website:
“After nine years at Bremen it was time for a change of scenery. I had very good, in-depth talks with the management here and I'm looking forward to the fresh challenge of playing for Freiburg.”
The second departure that Werder Bremen were forced to deal with was expected, yet unwanted. Captain Aaron Hunt decided not to extend his contract as he put pen to paper on a three year contract with rivals, VfL Wolfsburg. Hunt was widely expected to leave Germany altogether having previously been linked with Turkish outfit Besiktas, but the decision was scrapped. Hunt's departure will be widely felt as Bremen have lost their captain and arguably their best player. With transfer funds being a premium nowadays for the former Bundesliga champions, Bremen face a challenge of finding an adequate replacement. For Wolfsburg, the positives of the deal certainly outweigh the negatives. VfL Wolfsburg will find that the games will start coming thick and fast now they have returned to Europe after a five year absence, with Hunt's arrival providing further strength in depth for the next few seasons. Hunt also eases any nerves that Wolfsburg may have faced over their midfield, adding experience and quality to a midfield that bolsters the likes of; Luiz Gustavo, Maxi Arnold and Junior Malanda. Allofs and Hunt previously worked with eachother at Bremen, aiding Allofs decision to recruit the German as part of his project at Wolfsburg. Manager Dieter Hecking was pleased with the signing, after being quoted in an interview with Sky Sports:
"He's a real all-rounder. He can play in practically every position across the midfield and is always very dangerous in front of goal, and that makes him precisely the player we were looking for. He has also played many games in the Bundesliga and in Europe, and he will pass that experience on to our young team."
It was one in, one out for VfL Wolfsburg today. Former Czech Republic international Jan Polak was not offered an extension on his contract and was allowed to depart the Lower Saxony club once the deal had expired. It was today confirmed by Nürnberg that Polak has signed a two-year deal with the recently relegated Bavarian club; who will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing season. Polak provides a wealth of experience for a Nürnberg side expecting to face a squad overhaul as they will look to push for promotion. Polak becomes the third player to make the switch from Wolfsburg to Nürnberg within the last twelve months; as he joins Emanuel Pogatetz and Makoto Hasebe.