Opinion: the ten worst Bundesliga transfers of the 2020 summer transfer window

Yesterday’s article was a prediction about the ten best transfers amongst Bundesliga clubs. If you haven’t read it, go and check out how many Bayern Munich players I included!

As promised, this article will be my prediction of the ten worst. I’ll mention right off the bat that this article was much harder to write. I don’t necessarily think all of these transfers will turn out bad, although I tried to justify why all of them include warning signs.

The same rules apply as yesterday’s article:

1. Quality of player compared to the overall quality of the team

2. Price tag

3. Importance of signing for the specific team

Important note: I did not include any loanee signings in either article (even those that had an option-to-buy included) so there will be no Douglas Costa or Justin Kluivert.

10. Alexander Nübel to Bayern Munich on a free

This transfer is a strange one to assess. Signing Alexander Nübel, a very talented young goalkeeper, on a free is, at first glance, fantastic business from Bayern Munich. However, Manuel Neuer is back in the form of his life and has arguably never been better. The transfer caused Neuer to doubt his position at Bayern and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the transfer causes further friction in the dressing room. Will Neuer be dissappointed if he gets benched for some games? Will Nübel be satisfied not playing for a year? The transfer has raised a lot of question marks.

9. Waldemar Anton to VfB Stuttgart for €4 million

Another case where I am not sure this is a bad transfer or not. Anton is only 24 years old and was Stuttgart’s most expensive transfer this window alongside Gregor Kobel. The reason why I include Anton is that he has been a Bundesliga starter for only two seasons prior to this move, and in one of them he played every single game for a Hannover side that conceded the most goals of any team in the 2018/19 season.

8. Sebastian Andersson to FC Köln for €7 million

If you are accustomed to my writings here on BFW, you know why this one hurt to write. I think Andersson is a solid target-player, but he is included on this list solely because of his (relatively) high price-tag. €7 million for a 29-year-old who has only played in the Bundesliga for one season is a risky move for Köln.

7. Mijat Gacinovic to Hoffenheim for €3 million

I have not been impressed by Gacinovic as of late, and even though the transfer was not a big economic sacrifice, Gacinovic has little to offer at this level. That being, Sebastian Hoeness and his expertise with working with talents could help Gacinovic to refind his form.

6. Leonardo Bittencourt to Werder Bremen for €7 million

Many people had high expectations of the 18-year-old Bittencourt when he arrived at Borussia Dortmund in 2011. His career development stagnated, however, and despite three mildly successful years at FC Köln, he has never been able to achieve a double-digit tally in terms of goals and assists in a season. Yes, he was one of the few bright spots at Werder Bremen last year, although I still doubt whether the 26-year-old can justify his high price-tag.

5. Ömer Toprak to Werder Bremen for €4 million

Last time 30-year-old Toprak played more than 25 league games was back in the 2017/18 season. After he did not necessarily impress for Bremen in his last loan spell, I feel that Toprak’s best days are behind him.

4. Ondrej Duda to FC Köln for €7 million

Duda was fantastic in the 2018/19 season, scoring eleven goals and assisting six. However, when Pal Dardai left, Duda’s form droped drastically, and it didn’t help after he experienced a failed loan-stint at Norwich City. Whether he can rediscover his form at Köln remains to be seen. If not, however, he is an expensive transfer for a player that has only played one really good season in the German first division.

3. Bouna Sarr to Bayern Munich for €9 million

€9 million for a 28-year-old rotation-player with no international caps nor Champions League experience seems unnecessary. Sarr is most likely at the peak of his career, and it is unclear whether he will offer Bayern anything more than rotational depth. The pricetag is not a lot for Bayern, but I doubt fans of Die Roten will see much of Sarr, even though he signed a 4-year-contract. Bayern didn’t get Serginio Dest and this feels like a panic-buy from the Bavarians.

2. Alexander Sorloth to RB Leipzig for €25 million

Alexander Sorloth has had one and a half really good seasons in his career. The first half came at Midtjylland in the Danish league, where he scored 10 goals in 19 league games before he was sold to Crystal Palace. The second came recently when he scored 24 goals in 34 league games for Trabzonspor last season. Is the 24-year-old Trondheim-native good enough for one of the best teams in Germany? I highly doubt it.

1. Patrik Schick to Bayer Leverkusen for €26.5 million

Schick was moderately successful last season at RB Leipzig, but I don’t think he is worth the massive pricetag that Leverkusen has bought him for. Schick is still relatively young, but it is worrying he has never scored more than 12 league goals in a single season. The second-highest transfer sum Leverkusen has ever spent on a player, it seems like a big gamble for Die Werkself.